Advertising slides like this one would have screened in the cinema near the end of intermission- just as patrons were taking their seats for the second half of the movie (when intermissions were phased out they sometimes shown before the film commenced). 

These ads were printed/painted on glass and were loaded into the projector for a few moments before the heat from the lamp cracked the glass. Some of these slides were detailed and used prints, photographs and visual humour. Others, like this one from A.M Fox, were basic. Given how briefly each slide was shown to the audience, oftentimes simple was best!

No information can be found online about this business- but based off the design of the slide it would have been made from the 1940s-early 1960s. New Zealanders bought 40 million cinema tickets a year by the late 1950s so this was a prime time to advertise. 

With the tagline 'A Lifetime Gift of Quality' this slide may well have been screened near Christmas. It, and slides just like it, were loaded into the projector near the end of intermission or (depending on the cinema) just before the film began. If left for more than a few seconds the heat from the projector's arc lamp would crack the slide. If you look just above the round watch face you can see a small crack on this slide. No doubt the cadet projectionist got a sound telling off about this!

The Levin branch of Parrington's advertised in the local paper in the 1950s (this slide would date to around then). There is no record of the Foxton branch on Kete's "Foxton 1888-1988 - Commerce". 

There is some uncertainty about the location of this business- but we do know something about a 'S.Mattar'. Kete records show an 'S. Mattar' trading on Main Street as a draper in 1930. In 1945 an 'S. Matter' was trading as a hairdresser alongside tobacconist 'L. Matter' on Foxton's Main Street (near the intersection with Whyte Street). By 1950 'L. Matter' was carrying on business as a hairdresser and tobacconist alone.

In the  MANAWATU TIMES, VOLUME LVI, ISSUE 5588, 28 FEBRUARY 1931, PAGE 2  an 'S. Mattar' was part of a team who retained a bowling title.

Did 'S. Mattar' have a shop of his own? Or was this watch part of a family business? At this stage that is uncertain. 

While the notion of a watch which can wind itself 'better than you can' may seem somewhat insulting at first, you cannot deny the convenience! There have been references to self winding watches dating back to the 1770s- wrist watches had this innovation from the late 1920s. 

Given the uncertainty around the business, the date for this cinema slide is very approximate.  

In the middle of the 20th century the high streets of small town New Zealand were full of specialized businesses and crafts which today are only found in the main centres. Take D.A. Blackburn- a repairer of watches located on Foxton's Main Street. 

Before the arrival of cheaper watches which are easier to replace than repair, there were many such craftspeople in business. However- maybe Blackburn was too specialized for a town of Foxton's size. Kete records show him in business in 1960 but not in 1955 or 1965, so his shop didn't last as long as many others who took out cinema advertising in Foxton.

Blackburn also sold watches and clocks- all tested and guaranteed!