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.

Over a short ten-year time-span, Hodinkee has positioned itself as the preeminent and most distinguished destination for modern and vintage wristwatch enthusiasts. Exiting a career in finance, Ben Clymer decided to fuse his horological and writing passions in order to start a blog discussing everything from new products to vintage wristwatch auctions. Titling his endeavor after the Czech word hodinky, which means ‘little watch,’ Clymer sought to create a platform that was casual and accessible to all levels of enthusiasts—within a few years The New York Times dubbed him the “High Priest of Horology.”

A rich history history of the Illinois Watch Company, and record of nearly every wristwatch design they ever created, and their variations, in beautiful full color photographs. Each is accompanied by complete information about the watch and its production.