Rare Fried Book Found “Bench Practices for Watch & Clockmakers”

I didn’t find many of these books available. The ones I have found ran about $95 average. Not bad for a book that retailed in hardback for $35 two years ago. I’ve yet to see a review for this book, so I wrote one myself.

Arlington Books (the publisher) sold me one on Amazon for $35 + shipping. (Hardback and brand new).  Check with them directly. 2703 Elsmore Street, Fairfax, Virginia 22031, US.

I’m not sure about the phone number: (610) 874-9217.

Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780965621915
Publisher: Trantiques Book Company (Arlington – Tran Duy Lu).
Publication date: 1/28/1993
Pages: 280

This isn’t a beginners book. In fact, I believe beginners books don’t really work. If you’re a beginner, then you need boots on the ground. Until I came under the daily apprenticeship of a master watchmaker, the beginners books I bought made little sense. The authors who wrote books for beginners assumed the readers were under the guidance of a knowledgeable mentor.

(The section on fixing hairspring bends in this book is an essential part of a watchmaker’s skill set. I haven’t seen it anywhere but here.)

Now to Fried’s book, I consider this an essential book for watchmakers’ libraries. It covers one of the three critical areas of watch repair – hairsprings and balances. Most serious practitioners will tell you that cleaning and oiling cover the other two areas. When you take a watch for repair or service, you’ll see that servicing is referred to as COA – cleaning, oiling and adjustment.

Hamilton Elinvar Hairspring for 992B

If a watchmaker doesn’t have proficency in hairsprings, he can’t properly adjust the time. The watch may “tick”, but it’s half cooked.

Many problems exist in the area of hairspings and balances and Fried covers them expertly. Without this book, I cannot imagine a watchmaker or hobbyist mastering the subject.

At this point, I won’t go into the subjects covered by this book. You can imagine, however, that an out-of-print book commanding a $100 price has significance to the professional.

If you can’t buy one from Arlington Books, and you can find a copy for less than $100, grab it.