brian pittman

This publication presents the definitive portfolio of Friedrich Alexander Baumgartner, influential watch case designer and engraver at the Star Watch Case Company. Today Baumgartner is one of the few recognized American early 20th-century watch case art designers, yet he was largely forgotten until the 21 century. He is remembered as a pillar of the Star Watch engraving department over a 27-year career at the company from 1904 to 1931.

Featuring more than 370 elegant sketches and a total of 3,474 designs, this record provides a fascinating look at Baumgartner’s early 20th-century works. The collection is presented in an organized, indexed, and searchable manner to aid in the research, appreciation, and ultimately in the preservation of early American pocket watch cases. The Baumgartner Collection will be of interest to casual watch case admirers and avid collectors, researchers, historians, and practicing horologists who will discover a new appreciation for the planning, design, and expertise behind watch case designs.

Sure to be an important horological research tool, this volume secures Baumgartner’s artistic legacy as a great American watch case designer and engraver.