Webster C. Ball

What is the tour you may ask? It is a traveling “roadshow” sponsored by Ball Watch USA and presented by Ball Watch national sales manager, Marc Ofte. Mr. Ofte brings with him the historic collection of watches personally owned by Webster C. Ball, founder of Ball Watch Company, and with it a huge fount of fascinating information on the history of timekeeping in the US, and in particular the key role played by Ball Watch Company.

Did you know, Ball Watch Company was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, and remained under continuous family control until 1997 when it was acquired and all operations moved to Switzerland?

Webster C. Ball was engaged by a group of American railroad companies to rationalize timekeeping in the US because of accidents caused by inconsistent timekeeping methods. Almost single-handedly he was responsible for reducing the several hundred “time zones” in the US to the current four. He established a network of several thousand railroad time inspectors to check the accuracy and consistency of the pocket watches carried by railroad men.

Moreover, he started to manufacture the Ball brand of pocket watches, widely esteemed as the “Cadillac” of railroad timepieces. Ball brought mass production to watch manufacturing to ensure consistency among individual timepieces. And indeed it is said that Henry Ford studied some of his production methods.

The history of Ball Watch Company is one of the most fascinating and under-appreciated American success stories. If this heady mix of railroad history, horology, and 19th Century entrepreneurship captures your fancy, you will not want to miss the Ball Watch Museum Tour at Little Treasury which will be presented during our Gala Jewelry and Watch Trunk Show, Nov 2-3, 2012.

Little Treasury will present a Pre-Launch Ball for BMW event as part of our Gala Jewelry and Watch Trunk Show, November 2-3. Our Ball representatives will have various models on hand for you to see and touch, and we will be taking preorders. Be sure to attend!

Joanna Guy of Swanton, MD, was crowned Miss Maryland in June 2012 and will represent the state at the Miss America pageant next January.  Guy, a 20-year-old senior at Cornell University, is a native of Rockville and 2009 graduate of Southern High School in Garrett County.

The Miss Maryland competition was held last week at the historic Maryland Theater in Hagerstown. Guy won the swimsuit and talent preliminary competitions and was the overall winner in interview.  She performed a Broadway vocal selection for her talent. Guy received a $10,000 scholarship along with several generous prizes and additional scholarship awards.

“As Miss Maryland,” Guy states, “I am committed to serving as a positive role model for youth and an ambassador for our state.  I look forward to making appearances in schools and communities and to working with businesspeople and public officials throughout Maryland. Of course I am also thrilled and honored,” she added, “to represent Maryland at Miss America.”

During her year of service as Miss Maryland, Joanna Guy will travel throughout the state making appearances and promoting her personal platform as well as the national platform of the Miss America organization, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Her personal platform is “Heart to Heart: Raising Awareness for Healthy Hearts.” It is inspired by her grandparents, all four of whom suffered from heart disease or stroke.  Guy works to educate people, especially young woman, about the risks of heart disease and the benefits of heart-healthy lifestyle choices.  Her advocacy involves speaking appearances, a blog, and fundraising through special events.

At Cornell Guy is on the Dean’s List and maintains an A average with a major in Government and a minor in music.  An accomplished vocalist, she is a member of the Cornell University Chorus and a soloist with the After Eight a cappella. She also serves as the Vice President for recruitment of the Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi and is a certified seminar leader in the campus Panhellenic community.  She earned the Congressional Award for Youth Gold Medal in 2009 and that year was the only female student in Maryland to earn scholarships in both Academic Achievement and Talent in the Arts as a Maryland Distinguished Scholar. Guy worked during the summer of 2011 as an intern for U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin and will be employed this summer as a Research Assistant at the Baltimore firm of Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann LLP.  She aspires to attend law school and pursue a career in public service.

Miss Maryland is part of the Miss America organization, the world’s largest provider of scholarships for young women.  More information about the program is available at http://www.missmd.info/.

On September 7^th and 8^th Little Treasury Jewelers will host a watch event featuring the German watch brand Mühle Glashütte. Representing the company will be the fifth-generation head of the company, Mr. Thilo Mühle,  visiting from Germany explicitly for this event. Hours: Friday, September 7, noon to 8:00 pm, and Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  A reception will be held, with German fare and drink, Friday 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Little Treasury Jewelers, In the Village at Waugh Chapel, 2506 New Market Lane, Gambrills, MD 21054, 410-721-7100, www.littletreasury.com.

Mühle Glashütte specializes in fine timepieces featuring legibility, reliability and precision, with typical German styling and design restraint. They are also manufacturers of precision nautical time instruments and timing systems. The brand is represented in the US by just a small number of specialty authorized dealers.

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Mühle Glashütte was founded in 1869 in the town of Glashütte, the traditional center of the German watchmaking industry. Initially the company made measurement instruments for watchmakers. It later progressed to making automobile clocks and dashboard instruments for famous car makers such as Horch, Maybach and DKW beginning in the 1920’s.

The company was expropriated and dismantled by the East German government in 1945. Third generation leader Hans Mühle started a new company under the Mühle name in 1945, which was in turn nationalized in 1972 by the East German government.

After German reunification in 1990 the fourth generation head of the family business, Hans-Jürgen Mühle started Mühle-Glashütte GmbH nautische Instrumente und Feinmechanik in 1994. The new company set about manufacturing marine chronometers, marine time systems, and other nautical instruments. Two years later they introduced their first wristwatches.

In 2000 Thilo Mühle joined the company, and after serving as head of product development for the wristwatch division he became joint managing director with his father, Hans-Jürgen Mühle in 2004.

At the Little Treasury event Mr. Mühle will introduce the company’s new 2012 models and will discuss the fascinating history of his business and its philosophy and approach to watchmaking. Many examples of their fine wristwatches will be on display as well as examples of their nautical time instruments. Representatives of the US distributor for the brand will be on hand as well. This is a wonderful opportunity for watch lovers to be introduced to an authentic, family-owned line of fine German watches that is highly respected by watch lovers internationally.

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Founded in 2002, Little Treasury Jewelers sells fine jewelry and German and Swiss watches. The store’s jewelry designers include Hearts on Fire, Simon G, Roberto Coin, Coast Diamond, Chimento, Pandora, and many more. Over 20 watch brands are represented in addition to Mühle Glashütte, including Ball Watch, Bremont, Perrelet, Bell & Ross, Schaumburg, Alexander Shorokhoff, Tissot, Gucci, Towson Watch Company, Luminox, Citizen and more. Little Treasury has been recognized as one of the Leading Watch Retailers in the US by International Watch magazine and in 2012 as the Best Watch Store in Annapolis and West County by readers of What’s Up magazine.

Mühle Glashütte “Hand-Wound”

Mühle Glashütte Marinus GMT

Mühle Glashütte S.A.R. Flieger-Chronograph

Mühle Glashütte Teutonia Chronograph

Mühle Glashütte Quartz Marine Chronometer

New pieces have just arrived at the store from Chimento, Slane, and other designers we met with during our last buying trip.

Stop by to browse and update your profile using the Little Treasury Wishlist. Little Treasury will keep track of which pieces you love. When a birthday, anniversary, or holiday comes around, we’ll have your list to help your family choose the perfect gift!

If you haven’t been in the store in a while, now is the time. The pieces aren’t even up on our site yet, so you’ll be the first in the area to see them if you come by!

July 2012: Product News, Upcoming Events, Little Treasury In the News

Click here to view this newsletter in a browser

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PRODUCT NEWS

• What’s hot? Pre-owned watches.
• Coming soon: two new exotic watch lines
• Just in! PANDORA National Icon Beads

This summerTIME, our pre-owned watches are the product to watch!

Pre-owned watches have been more popular than ever this summer.

We are proud to carry pre-owned Rolex (ladies’ and mens’), Omega, Breitling, Tag Heuer, Panerai, Cartier, IWC, Ebel, Anonimo, Girard-Perregaux, Jaeger LeCoultre, and more.

Also from time to time, we have Ball Watch, Bell & Ross, and other lines we carry as authorized dealers. Click here to browse just some of the pre-owned watches we have in stock. Visit or call the store for the full inventory.

Customers can also request specific brands and models as we have strong network to source pre-owned watches of any make.

We buy fine Swiss and German watches for cash or trade towards our new watches.  Come in for a quote.  MD Lic. No. 2143.

In addition to our fine wristwatches, we have a constantly changing stock of vintage pocket watches, from ladies’ sizes to size 18 railroad timepieces.

Coming Soon: Two New Watch Brands!

Two new watch brands, Schaumburg  and Alexander Shorokhoff German watches, will be coming to Little Treasury sometime soon.

For Alexander Shorokhoff, we are pleased to be just the second authorized dealer in the US.

We encourage you to check out their respective websites.  Both feature very unusual designs and atttractive prices. They are en route to the store and we will announce their arrival on our website later in the month!  Stay tuned this summer as we roll out these lines of Teutonic exotics!

By keeping our selection diverse and ever-changing, we hope to live up to our  ‘Best Of’ Annapolis award this year!

PANDORA National Icon Beads: Just in time for the Olympics!

The new charms are the perfect way to celebrate your world travels, whether the trips are fond memories or future plans!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

• Looking ahead: Muhle Glashutte visit

Looking Ahead: Mühle Glashütte Road Show Event – September 7 & 8

Save the date, German watch lovers!  Mr. Thilo Mühle, fifth-generation head of Mühle Glashütte, makers of fine German watches, will be with us to introduce his company and exhibit the 2012 novelties.  We will have a reception Friday evening from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

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And finally…check out Little Treasury in the News!

• Featured jeweler in Annapolis Lifestyle magazine, July issue: http://www.annapolislifestyle.com/

Annapolis Lifestyle magazine recently published some gorgeous photos using pieces provided by Little Treasury in their Style section’s summer spread. Pick up a copy today or visit their website to browse the online edition and see the complete spread! Like what you see? Visit our website to browse the designers and pieces from the spread, including Rina Limor, Officina Bernardi, Rebecca, Jorge Revilla, Slane, and Roberto Coin.

• Honored for watch selection in ‘What’s Up’ Annapolis Magazine July edition
  http://www.bestof.whatsupmag.com/2012/

‘What’s Up’ Annapolis magazine honored Little Treasury Jewelers for our watch selection and expertise in their 2012 Winners Announcement Issue for the ‘Best Of’ contest. Pick up a copy today or visit their website to read their write-up about our watch selection. Be sure to check out the magazine for a picture of our owner Steve!

• The latest Little Treasury love story! (as seen in the Crofton Patch)

Recent visitors to our Facebook page got to read all about Little Treasury’s role in the recent engagement of Miss Maryland 2011, Carlie Colella.

Click here to view the picture album and read the adorable story of a romantic surprise she’ll never forget!

Or…visit our Engagement Rings, Bridal Jewelry, and Diamonds Database to start planning an engagement surprise of your own!

New Arrivals, Just for Dad!
Watches, cufflinks, jewelry for men, and more!

The Best Gifts for the Best Dads.

In preparation for Father’s Day, Little Treasury has ordered a number of exciting new products that will make perfect gifts for Dad’s special day.

Beyond our collection of fine watches, we now carry cufflinks for any price range and a selection of jewelry for men that will complement any Dad’s style.

Want to preview our new arrivals before you come in to browse? Visit our Pintrest board to see pictures of select new pieces!

PLUS Exciting bonus offers: free gifts with your purchase for dad

Little Treasury and our local partners have put together a package for Father’s Day that is bound to put a smile on any Dad’s face.**

The first 100 customers to make a Father’s Day gift purchase of $100 or more will receive:

A $20 gift card to Robert Andrew Salon & Spa.

Customers who spend $250 or more on Father’s Day gifts will get:

A $25 gift card to Severna Park Golf Center in addition to the Robert Andrew gift card.

Finally, customers who spend $500 or more on Father’s Day merchandise will get:

The Robert Andrew gift card, the golf center gift card, and a FREE premium cigar cigar from Titan Cigar.

You must mention this offer at the time of purchase.

**Our Father’s Day Offer is valid Thursday, June 7 through Saturday, June 16 on your new purchase of Father’s Day merchandise from Little Treasury. Offers valid while supplies last.

See our website for details.

Also for our Father’s Day Celebration
Enter to win a Luxury Spa Treatment for Two, No Purchase Required!
JUNE 7-16th

As part of our Father’s Day celebration, visit Little Treasury and enter to win a Tuscany Suite spa package for two at Robert Andrew Salon & Spa. No purchase required!

"Begin your Tuscan retreat by relaxing in our soaking tub for two; or in our waterfall shower, complete with ten pulsating jets to loosen tight muscles. Then complete the experience with a couples massage and lite spa fare. (Approx. 2 hours)"

The Tuscany spa suite is valued at $323 per couple and includes gratuity. It can be yours absolutely free, just for stopping by and completing the entry form!

You Voted, We Won!
Little Treasury named ‘Best Watch Store’ in Annapolis and West County!

Hey pandora lovers:
SHOW YOUR WILD SIDE!

The new summer murano glass beads have arrived!
These wild animal-print beads are the perfect fun accents for any bracelet, especially during the summer months. Mix and match them with more classic Pandora charms to make your bracelet truly one-of-a-kind.

Just in, the brand new Ball 41mm Trainmaster 60 Seconds Day Date. Below: next to it’s little brother, the 38.5mm black-dialed 60 Seconds. Both very nice and retro.  Which one do you prefer and why?