The art of tracking time has been evidenced for over 300 years in the Black Forest area of Germany. Cuckoo and singing bird clocks, early glass bell, trumpeter, Jockele, animation, and picture frame clocks all have in the Black Forest area by skilled clockmakers who have transformed the function of time into a true form of art through their clocks. Rick Ortenburger's important new study traces the development of this fascinating Black Forest clock industry between about 1700 and 1930. He provides useful information that will meet the collectors' need and increase the appreciation of the beautiful craft these clocks represent. Photographs in color and black and white of 600 different examples make the industry's evolution from early cottage farm houses to the later development of factories come to life.

The skeleton clock probably is the most fascinating of all clocks. It displays, by means of its fretted-out frame and lack of any protective case other than a glass dome, its inner-most workings. Therefore, this type of clock attracted the attention of some of the finest makers, particularly those working in France from circa 1760-1860 as it enabled them to display their skills so completely. It was for the same reason that it was popular with their wealthy clients, who could show off their latest acquisitions so perfectly. A typical example of this is an amazing clock made by Sarton for the Duke of Lorraine, the dial of which swings to and fro so that wherever you are sitting in the room you can see it clearly. Other examples are the glass-plated clocks which apparently have no frame and often go for six months at a single winding, and clocks which show not only the time but also such things as day, date, month, moons, age and phases, sunrise and sunset, the time in other world locations, and even the equation of time(i.e. the difference between the sun's and our time). Many of these are more than clocks-they are great works of art. Numerous examples, including the products of countries such as France, Holland, Austria, and America are included and fully illustrated, frequently in color, in this book. There is a chapter on modern skeleton clocks that shows that fine clockmaking still is very much alive and well. The fascinating information on skeleton clocks made in America is the first full account to be published in over a decade.

Every year brings hundreds of new wristwatch designs, with aesthetic and mechanical changes and improvements, limited edition watches, and new producers keeping this field exciting for collectors. Following the success of last yearGCOs book, this new annual features over 1,700 of the worldGCOs most luxurious wristwatches and provides color photographs and complete specifications for each watch. With Wristwatch Annual, collectors have a wealth of information close at hand: The book is arranged alphabetically by producer, and within each producerGCOs section are specifications and materials for each watch, including price, movement, special features, complications, casings, dial, band, and available variations of a particular model. The elegant photography and layout will encourage people to peruse the yearGCOs offerings watch-by-watch for aesthetic appeal as well. The range of styles, from classic to modern, reflects the inclusive nature of this book, which watch collectors the world over will find both a handy reference and required reading. Included in the 2004 edition: Audemars Piquet; Baume & Mercier; Bell & Ross; Bertolucci; Blancpain; Blu; Bonneville; Rainer Brand; Breguet; Breitling; Bulgari; Bunz Collection; Vincent Calabrese; Cartier; Charriol; Chase-Durer; J. Chevalier; Chopard; Chronoswiss; Fr+¬d+¬rique Constant; Corum; Davosa; Dubey & Schaldenbrand; Ph. Du Bois & Fils; Roger Dubuis; Dufeau; Dunhill; Ebel; Eberhard & Co.; Louis +erard; Eterna; Jacques Etoile; Fortis; Gerald Genta; Paul Gerber; Girard-Perregaux; Glash++tte Original; Hanhart; Harwood; Hublot; Ikepod; IWC; Jaeger-LeCoultre; Daniel JeanRichard; Junghans; Urban Jurgensen; Kelek; Kobold; Kurth; Maurice Lacroix; A. Lange & Sohne; Longines; Jean Marcel; Marcello C.; Mido; Minerva; Montblanc; Movado; M++hle; Franck Muller; Ulysse Nardin; Rainer Nienaber; Nivrel; Nomos; Omega; Oris; Pacardt; Officine Panerai; Parmigiani Fleurier; Patek Philippe; Pequignet Perrelet; Piaget; Paul Picot; Poljot; Porsche Design; Rado; Revue Thommen; Auguste Reymond; RGM; Rolex; Daniel Roth; Jorg Schauer; Schwarz-Etienne; Alain Silberstein; Sinn Spezialuhren; Sothis; Stowa; TAG Heuer; Temption; Tissot; Tutima; Union Glash++tte; Vacheron Constantin; Ventura; Raymond Weil; Harry Winston; Xemex; Zenith

The mechanical wristwatch is a cherished treasure. This newly revised book is designed for the collector, with a historical survey, a description of how mechanical wristwatches work, and a glossary. Updated prices for various watches are included, along with a chapter on fakes, knock-offs, and hybrids. Information on the preservation, care, and repair of the watch rounds out the volume, making it an excellent reference for novice and experienced collectors alike.

This beautiful book presents the fascinating developments in precision time keeping in England from 1720 through the 18th and 19th centuries. The work of well-known 18th century horologists, Shelton, Ellicott, Arnold, Cumming, Earnshaw and the Vulliamys, Reid and Hardy and others are included. Their technical advances in precision pendulum clocks are documented along with the evolution of the cases they were housed in, from the early Georgian style to the classic Victorian dome-topped regulators. Over 700 color and black and white photographs and illustrations document these historically significant time regulators. They have become essential our everyday lives, aiding the industrial revolution, regulating the timetables of trains and being used by clockmakers to regulate the watches and clocks the world had come to rely on.

The phrase ""in a New York minute"" is virtually synonymous with all that is fast-paced and technologically advanced. One of the first cities founded on the eastern seaboard, New York has been a horological trendsetter for almost four hundred years. When the first Dutch settlers came to Manhattan in the early years of the 17th century, they established America's first stronghold of capitalism. Over the next few centuries, precise schedules became an inescapable reality of modernization and precision timepieces became an art form in Europe and America. As the center of commercial and industrial activity, New York City developed a particular preoccupation with time, and hence became a showplace for an astonishing array of timepieces. From tower clocks to time balls, this richly illustrated work chronicles the history of public clocks in New York City. It discusses the premiere clock-makers of the 19th century such as the Ansonia Clock Company and the Self Winding Clock Company, the heyday of American public clock making and the ever-increasing importance of clocks. Post clocks, church clocks, sundials, and labor timepieces are all discussed herein. Photographs of subject pieces and an index are included.

This long-awaited volume chronicles the horological work carried out in France, Germany, and North America and completes the fascinating history of precision timekeeping in recent time. In France, renowned clockmakers include the Berthouds, the Lepautes, Robin, Janvier, Lepine, LeRoy and Leroy, Bourdier, Jacot and Jarossay. In Germany the primary emphasis is on Riefler, Strasser, and Rohde, but the works of other important makers are also considered. America's contribution to precision timekeeping is chronicled including the works of Seth Thomas, Charles Fasoldt, William Bond and Son Co., E. Howard and Co. and others. Recent advancements in timekeeping include the W5, a clock created by Philip Woodward and the Littlemore clock created by Professor Hall, almost certainly the most accurate pendulum controlled clock the world has known. Over 500 beautiful color and black-and-white photographs illustrate the historical contributions of these eminent clockmakers.

CHRONOMETERS - Marine and pocket chronometers, pocket watches with tourbillons or carousels form, in the large family of clocks, a small group of very precisely running timepieces with little sensitivity to external influences, such as variations in temperature. In the text, the author takes up the fascinating development and history of the chronometer, portrays the most important manufactures in short biographies, and reports on the great voyages of discovery in the 18th Century that proved the utility of the chronometer as a navigational instrument. The illustration section, divided into five sections on the basis of historical and technical standpoints, portays some 350 items in the antique trade and at auctions or seen in private collections, with special emphasis placed on illustrations of their movements.