When American Watches Rivaled the Swiss

It is not easy for addicts to write objectively about their dealers But Fred Friedberg is essential to any story about my “drug of choice” – vintage Illinois watches from the 1920s and 1930s. Fred has bought and sold thousands of these iconic beauties over the years, including several dozen to me in the past decade Other collectors include actor Malcolm McDowell and television producer Greg Hart I thought his own obsession was sated in 2004 when he wrote The Illinois Watch: The Life and Times of a Great American Watch Company .

He was only getting started and this month he has published a five-volume, 1600-page set, The Illinois Watch & Its Hamilton Years: The Finale of a Great American Watch Company . Looking at today’s luxury watch market, dominated by European manufacturers such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Omega, it is easy to forget there was a time when American manufacturers . Source