Watchmakers

In a small Swiss town there was once a Watch Maker. About every three months a Patron would come and purchase a new watch. The Watch Maker was a quiet and old man dedicated to his craft and so they rarely spoke, but he was curious about this Patron that now had returned to him time and time again, so he decided on the Patron’s next visit to talk more about why he continued to come and buy his works.

On a quiet spring morning the door to his store opened and the Patron entered. The Watch Maker greeted him with a smile and walked him over to the cabinet of finished works. After some discussion of the various pieces the patron made his selection. While wrapping the piece he talked to the Patron.

“Sir, I notice that you come in fairly regularly and buy my watches. Are you a collector?”

The Patron smiled. “I have become one. I have a beautiful display cabinet where I have all the watches I have bought from you. They are very beautiful and I admire them often.”

The Watch Maker smiled at the compliment. “You say you have become one? You were not always interested in watches?”

The Patron smiled and said, “Well, I do love your watches and they are beautiful, no equal have I ever found in their artistry, but they have one flaw.”

This piqued the Watch Maker’s interest, “Oh?”

“Yes,” replied the patron. “After about three months they stop working. They just stop. So I have to come and get a new one.”

The watch maker thought about that for a moment. “Do you have the last one you bought on you? I would like to look at it to see what is wrong?”

“Certainly”, said the patron and he fished the pocket watch out of his pocket and handed it to the craftsman. The watch maker looked at it for a short time and then laughed out loud. The Patron looked shocked. “What is it?”

“My friend, you do need to wind the watch now and then.”