The Alarm Wristwatch: The History of an Undervalued Feature

Finally, alarm wristwatches are recognized for their mechanical ingenuity and the beauty of their design. This new book traces the development of mechanical wristwatches with an acoustic alarm function, one of the first wristwatch complications, and gives detailed information for collectors. Hundreds of watches are examined in 535 color images. In addition to the external design of the watch, special attention is paid to the movements and how their creators solved the multitude of challenges that confronted them. Michael Philip Horlbeck, a scholar and collector of alarm wristwatches, has written the standard work, a complete history of the alarm wristwatch. Nearly every model ever produced is chronicled, in words and pictures. The international array of companies include Eterna, Omega, Bruguet, Bulova, Citizen, Corum, Cyma, Jaeger-Le Coultre, Lemania, Pierce, Poljot, Ronda, Seiko, Venus, Vulcain, and Wittnauer, and many more. The technical data for each watch is recorded. This is required reading for all wristwatch fans and all who may become such. Whether you are interested in the design or the mechanics of these watches, you will not be disappointed.