Going up to the 68th floor by elevator was a ride (I used to think it was the 86th), and as boys we were delighted to spend the time putting straps on the Certina watches destined for the PXs (Post Exchanges or U.S. Army stores). The room in which we worked gave a fantastic view of the city.
Outside, in the hall, if you stood against the wall by the elevator, you could feel the wall moving away from your back on a windy day. What kind of office was this? Well, the Swiss watch importing business was good right after WWII, and my Dad wanted a known location.
So we were in what was then the world’s tallest building, known as the Empire State Building. The influx of Swiss watches was soon offset by another influx, that of inexpensive Japanese watches, so my father later economized on office space.
