Ep. 121: Collecting Illinois Watches with Fred Friedberg

This week, we’re joined by Fred Friedberg, author of The Illinois Watch & Its Hamilton Years. The Illinois Watch Company played an important role in American watchmaking, producing watches at a great scale through the years of the Great Depression, including many classic Art Deco designs. Their history is linked closely to Hamilton, which is a main focus of Fred’s book. 

Fred is one of the foremost experts on the history of the Illinois Watch Company, in addition to being a noted collector and author. On the podcast, we discuss the long history of the Illinois Watch Company, what makes these watches interesting to collect, and how the internet has changed our hobby over the decades. 

Click here for more information on Fred’s book and to order a copy of your own, and be sure to check out the slider below for a small preview.

This week’s episode is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop.

Show Notes

• Fred’s wrist check: Illinois Ritz
• Zach’s wrist check: Grand Seiko SBGN003
• Fred’s first book
• Fred’s group on Facebook 
• The Illinois Watch Company’s history with Hamilton 
• Fred’s website