Watches:
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Until the mid-19th century, the most talented machinists were watchmakers. They were revered technological wizards of the 16th-19th centuries; everyone marveled at their ability to produce timepieces that ran accurately in any position that was small enough to be carried comfortably. Americans used European watches until the Civil War because few American manufacturers were making reliable watches in quantity. After the war, dozens of watch factories sprang up in the East, then the Midwest. By l900, accurate, attractive watches could be purchased for just a dollar--hence the "dollar watch." We've come full circle; few watches are made in this country today. |
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