The Greenbelt community was the first planned housing development of its kind and was set up in 1937. Since the Greenbelt community attempted to create a harmonious living atmosphere for a diverse set of people, it was important that management play an active role in regulating common areas of activities. The daily activities were regulated in terms of time so as to prevent conflicts of any sort. Office time was set and only during those hours would any complaints or comments be entertained. Clothes could be put on lines only till 4:00pm and then after 10:00pm. The banks were open only for a given number of hours, the Credit Union was open between 2:00pm and 6:00pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Most of this required that a person keep a close watch on time. Most of these chores were done by the females who found it convenient to have watches that did not get in the way and yet could be easily accessible for frequent referral. The regimentation that was being imposed on the residents of the Greenbelt community also reinforced the need for every member of the family to keep pace with time. There are several people who lived in the Greenbelt, Maryland community and have documented what everyday life entailed. Their personal accounts shed light on the importance of keeping to a time schedule and how almost all activities revolved around a set time frame(Greenbelt Manual p. 2-10).
Sarah Doran's exhibit on Doing Laundry in the Greeenbelt community highlights the stringent regulations and time limits imposed by the management of the community. While the different facets of whether or not such restrictions were desirable have been discussed in a specialized context, it seemed important that the import of time was being felt by the community as whole.
Evelyn B's comment on the living conditions during the time reflect exactly how closely time was intertwined with every single aspect of life:
"...the laundry had to be off the line by 4 o'clock, and the radio off after midnight. I will never forget-I was pregnant with our oldest boy . A police officer came and rapped on the door around 12:15a.m. because I had fallen asleep and the radio was playing (Denkler )."
Since the families in the Greenbelt area had an average income of $2000 or less per anum the kind of watches they wanted to buy were reliable but inexpensive (Gillette p.83). The Ingersoll line of watches were cheap but came with warranties up till the time of the First World War when the quality of intermediate parts suffered a setback. The Ingraham watch was another such watch that satisfied the need for an inexpensive but accurate watch. This trend of affording to the general public a piece that was capable of performance was also visible in other products (Thompson p. 162).
As Cherise Neville has showcased in her exhibit on Kodak Cameras, the Mickey Mouse watch equivalent in the camera industry was the Baby Brownie Camera which was targeted at the children. The Baby Brownies were marketed with a cereal box for .50 cents. The older kids could buy a more serious version of the camera, the Kodak Target Six-20. The more expensive cameras like expensive watches, were bought for very special occasions such as weddings and Christmas.