A guide for Hamilton wristwatch collectors to identify watches made between 1917 and 1969.

With 100% new content and more than 400 gorgeous color photos, Warman's Watches Field Guide is the essential portable guide to one of the hottest collecting categories. This book covers more than 100 years of watches from more than 50 watch manufactures, including famous Swiss (Patek Phillipe, Cyma, Rolex, Omega, Breitling) and American (Bulova, Illinoins, Eligin, Hamilton) companies. Each listing from these companies, and others, features a detailed description and accurate pricing information, along with photos of near-mint versus the average watch, all of which will be aiding you in identifying and valuing their own collections.

'The Wristwatch Handbook' provides the reader with a comprehensive anatomy of the mechanical wristwatch; every conceivable function and form. It is the foundational text for the novice and the reference book for the seasoned enthusiast. Where other books about watches focus on advising the collector, on a single brand, or on a timeline of key historical figures and events, 'The Wristwatch Handbook' takes a detailed look at mechanical wristwatch complications (functions) and leaves no stone unturned. The reader will gain the ability to identify a complicated watch from twenty paces and perform a top-to-bottom assessment of even the most exotic timepiece in a matter of seconds. Despite the functional obsolescence of the mechanical wristwatch (our phones, computers, even microwaves tell more accurate time), there are more varieties of mechanical watches available than ever before. Today, innovation is no longer exclusively preoccupied with accuracy; pioneer manufacturers are also exploring friction reduction, anti-magnetism, scratch resistance, dial decoration, exotic materials and so on.

The early 2000s were an important period, spanning a time when mechanical watches had quite rightly retaken their place in the world market. We all may have a digital device in our pocket that is more accurate than a mechanical watch, but a timepiece has soul, personality, and history. The collection in this book is a step into the world of vintage watch collecting, with a range of photographs, intricate research, and accessible reference material that will intrigue both the casual and avid enthusiast. The collection showcases some of the most interesting, luxurious, and functional 20th-century (1930-1980) mechanical timepieces ever to be produced, including Heuer's Autavia, Rolex's Submariner, Gallet's MultiChron, Zenith's De Luca, and the Universal Space Compax.