A Story of Opulence…
-as told by a veteran Marcks and Co. salesman
“One day, I was told that an important person was in town, Mahboob Ali Khan (1869-1911), the Nizam of Hyderabad. He was expected to come and visit the shop because he was passionate about watches. Indeed he arrived in a horse drawn carriage, dressed in Indian fashion, with a big cloak and a gold cane, accompanied by several people all bowing down to the ground as he went by. We all lined up to greet him with the respect due to such an important and famous person. He entered the shop majestically, slowly looking to the right and to the left, not a glance at any of us, as though he were deaf to all the words of praise coming from the manager. He went straight to the showcase that housed the most beautiful and expensive pieces. After one brief glance, he raised his cane, lightly touching the showcase in a diagonal movement. He paused a few more seconds, looking around and taking it all in, and slowly went for the door, not saying a word, his eyes shining with joy…
So I went next to Ramesh, my master, and asked him what had happened. He looked at me before he replied. Then, after hushing a few words of thanks to Krishna, he told me that the Nizam had bought all the watches in the showcase, and that they had to be packed as quickly as possible since the Nizam was unaccustomed to waiting. Yes. Those were the good old days.”
