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Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful
Review: Anyone who collects or just likes pocket watches will love this book. The many pictures (showing examples from the collection) are breathtaking. The book is nicely printed on quality paper and bound in signatures for strength. I found this book worth every penny of the price.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is a reference that should be a part of every watch enthusiasts collection. It is a beautifully bound trip back in time that graphically illustrates the BEST of American manufacturing. It is important that today's generations are made aware that the Swiss did not invent timekeeping. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Swiss had purchased considerable amounts of machinery, developed and manufactured in America, to fabricate parts for their watches. The latest, most expensive import would find it difficult to match the timekeeping abilities of American watches made 75 or more years ago. These American brands, Waltham, Hamilton, Elgin, and Howard, to name a few, are still available, at a fraction of the cost of Rolex, Patek, Vacheron, Omega, etc. One criticism of this book came from a collector who cited his displeasure at the number of recased movements illustrated. It was common practice, well into the 20th century, to recase pocket watch movements, whether by personal preference, or because of damage. Indeed, hands, dials, and parts were often replaced, particularly on railroad-approved pocket watches, because of the extreme conditions that these timepieces were subjected to. Admittedly, there are some descriptive errors and I take exception to some of the author's opinions. But a good book should, by nature, incite some dialog and ask you, the reader, to look at things in a different way. This volume should be taken for what it was intended, an excellent overview of the American watch industry. Whether you're a collector, or someone who is interested in what many historians consider the golden age of American manufacturing, you will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is a reference that should be a part of every watch enthusiasts collection. It is a beautifully bound trip back in time that graphically illustrates the BEST of American manufacturing. It is important that today's generations are made aware that the Swiss did not invent timekeeping. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Swiss had purchased considerable amounts of machinery, developed and manufactured in America, to fabricate parts for their watches. The latest, most expensive import would find it difficult to match the timekeeping abilities of American watches made 75 or more years ago. These American brands, Waltham, Hamilton, Elgin, and Howard, to name a few, are still available, at a fraction of the cost of Rolex, Patek, Vacheron, Omega, etc. One criticism of this book came from a collector who cited his displeasure at the number of recased movements illustrated. It was common practice, well into the 20th century, to recase pocket watch movements, whether by personal preference, or because of damage. Indeed, hands, dials, and parts were often replaced, particularly on railroad-approved pocket watches, because of the extreme conditions that these timepieces were subjected to. Admittedly, there are some descriptive errors and I take exception to some of the author's opinions. But a good book should, by nature, incite some dialog and ask you, the reader, to look at things in a different way. This volume should be taken for what it was intended, an excellent overview of the American watch industry. Whether you're a collector, or someone who is interested in what many historians consider the golden age of American manufacturing, you will enjoy this book.
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