Edidin has published articles on the history of watchmaking and given talks at international symposia for watch and clock collectors. When taking apart watches, he says, "I'm mainly interested in reading their secrets." He's discovered, for instance, that in some cases the true makers of 19th-century watches were not the ones listed on the watch's exterior. These "ghost watchmakers" surreptitiously engraved their names in the watch's innards--for Edidin to uncover a century later.

"Watches," he says "are beautifully interesting."

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