Born in New Prague, Minnesota, Mr. Joseph Edward Kubes enlisted in the military on December 7, 1942. His tour of duty took him to the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines in the Southwest Pacific. While serving as SSN 686 Instrument Panel Specialist, he earned extra money to send home by repairing servicemen’s watches.

He was honorably discharged after WWII from the U.S. Marines in 1945 as a 22-year-old Technical Sergeant at Eagle Mountain Marine Base, Texas. He and his new bride, Rita, loved the Sunbelt climate and growth potential and decided to establish a watch repair service in downtown Fort Worth. Besides being an accomplished watch repairman and jeweler, Joseph became one of the first nine Certified Gemologists in Texas in 1955, and the only one in Fort Worth at the time.