Watchmakers Buy a Used Packard for $1.3 Million
--In 1922, auto maker James Packard wanted a pocket watch that not only would tell time but would also include a complete display of the star system as it appeared from the window of his bedroom in Warren, Ohio. Patek Philippe, Geneva watchmakers, worked for five years to make the watch to Packard’s specifications for $16,000, an unprecedented price at the time. Now, in a private deal arranged by the American Watchmakers Institute, the company has bought the watch back for $1.3 million, the most ever paid for a watch without precious stones, company officials said. Since Packard’s death in 1928, the timepiece has been on loan to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. “The Packard” watch includes dials to indicate moon phases, sunsets and sunrises, leap years and heavenly time.
--Their opinions won’t have much impact on Election Day, but an informal poll in Moscow shows that the average Soviet citizen favors George Bush over Michael S. Dukakis to win the presidential election. The unscientific survey of 50 people was conducted by United Press International. Of the 50, 26 said they would like to see Bush in the White House, 17 opted for Dukakis and seven said they did not know who the candidates were, or did not care. Older people tended to be reluctant to speak with a foreign journalist while younger people appeared eager to talk. One woman at a market on the outskirts of Moscow said she had seen a TV tape of a Bush campaign trip in which he scaled fish at a factory. “I like Bush because he is very good at cleaning fish,” she said.
--Postmaster General Anthony M. Frank has put his stamp of approval on a plan to bring generations closer together. “Plant a Family Tree” is the name of the proposal, in which millions of family history forms will be given out, in hopes that youngsters will write to their grandparents for family information. “The Postal Service is part of the fabric of American life. We do more than deliver the mail. We deliver ideas and dreams and help preserve our heritage,” he said. As part of the family tree program the Postal Service has printed folders that discuss family histories on one side and contain a genealogical form on the back to fill in information on parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The free forms will be available in post offices in October.
