and less expensive because of mechanical mass-production. The American watch industry held their position until World War I when wristwatches came into vogue and Switzerland started producing them. By 1961, Switzerland lead the world in wristwatch production of 15,000,000 watches per year, Russia produced about 20,000,000 watches annually, and France, Germany and Japan each produced about 12,000,000 wristwatches per year. The United Slates produced only about 5,000,000 watches per year. One reason for this difference is that other countries had better technology than the United States by that time. Another reason is that other countries had lower labor rates than the United States, with Switzerland's rate at about one-fourth and Japan's rate at about one-twelfth compared to the United States. In the 1960s, the Elgin Watch Company decided that a single vendor should not supply more than a third of its needs. Star Watch Case Company was removed from Elgin's supplier list. Two decades later the company was all but out of business. In 1979, it was sold to Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère. By 1982, the Star Watch Case Company was defunct. All of the company's furnishings and machinery were then sold and the building was demolished in 1995. Gallery See also Manistee Watch Company Footnotes Sources Further reading Defunct watchmaking companies Manufacturing companies established in 1905 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1982 1905 establishments in Michigan 1982 disestablishments in Michigan Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan