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Product Description
Savilerow-style.com, November 2006
A fascinating history of horology that is also an enjoyable read and
lavishly illustrated.
lavishly illustrated.
Product Description
The wristwatch is the only jewellery that most men will wear, although many would not want to call it that. A watch may be a practical device for the sole purpose of telling the time as accurately as possible, a complicated machine, a wearable design object, or a status symbol. Some watch wearers, like scuba divers or pilots, rely on their timepieces for safety and survival. Gene Stone's "The Watch" covers all these things and more. It ranges over the world of watches without prejudice, mixing the old with the new, and the expensive with the economical. It introduces the fifty major brands that any watch collector must be familiar with. Essential wisdom on buying, collecting, maintaining and wearing watches is provided. And an encyclopedic glossary offers a crash course in watch lore. Best of all are the more than 500 photographs of terrific watches, including remarkable details of dials and movements, and selected for their beauty and diversity from collections around the world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Since I recently came to be without a timepiece again, and since my knowledge of watches brands is limited to Rolex, Omega, and Swatch, I ordered this book to read up on watches before buying a new one. This book was one of the most entertaining books I recently read, and I must admit I have become a watch fanatic ever since I read it.
Although the introductory history of timekeeping (covering from ancient egypt up to the cell phones of today) is fairly interesting, the most interesting part of the introduction is his comparison of the watch scene with an old European court. This gives a good high-level overview of the most important players, described in the remainder of the book.
The main part of the book consists of a description of 50 of the most notable and famous historical watch brands out there, including their history, relations to other brands, ... These stories (which don't go into too much detail such that they would become boring) are a very interesting read, and serve as an excellent crash course into the world of watches for newcomers like me. However, what really puts the cherry on the cake are undoubtedly the 500 gorgeous high-quality pictures of watches and their movements, depicted in extremely high detail. On any given day, I find it fascinating to pick up the book, flip through the pages, and enjoy just looking at these photos for a while.
The last part of the book focuses on the actual owning, exploring, and collecting of watches. Besides a handful of tips from the author, this part comes with several testimonies from different watch collectors. On top of this, the author created a few top 10s of watches, including "models that everybody should know", "models that are fun to look at", etc., which yet again is very valuable information for the uninitated like me.
You can feel that the author has a passion for watches, knows what he's talking about, and put a lot of love into this book to share his passion and knowledge with the rest of the world. All this makes The Watch both a fascinating and entertaining to read, or, if you don't feel like reading, a nice way to feast your eyes on pretty shiny pictures.
If, like me, you're interested in reading even more about watches after finishing The Watch, I can recommend Cult Watches: The World's Enduring Classics. Instead of discussing the different watch models of a variety brands, Cult Watches picks out 30 specific "cult" watches, and tells the detailed story behind each watch and its manufacturer. Although most of the brands in that book are described in this book as well, some of them that are only mentioned briefly in The Watch are covered in more detail in Cult Watches.
Although the introductory history of timekeeping (covering from ancient egypt up to the cell phones of today) is fairly interesting, the most interesting part of the introduction is his comparison of the watch scene with an old European court. This gives a good high-level overview of the most important players, described in the remainder of the book.
The main part of the book consists of a description of 50 of the most notable and famous historical watch brands out there, including their history, relations to other brands, ... These stories (which don't go into too much detail such that they would become boring) are a very interesting read, and serve as an excellent crash course into the world of watches for newcomers like me. However, what really puts the cherry on the cake are undoubtedly the 500 gorgeous high-quality pictures of watches and their movements, depicted in extremely high detail. On any given day, I find it fascinating to pick up the book, flip through the pages, and enjoy just looking at these photos for a while.
The last part of the book focuses on the actual owning, exploring, and collecting of watches. Besides a handful of tips from the author, this part comes with several testimonies from different watch collectors. On top of this, the author created a few top 10s of watches, including "models that everybody should know", "models that are fun to look at", etc., which yet again is very valuable information for the uninitated like me.
You can feel that the author has a passion for watches, knows what he's talking about, and put a lot of love into this book to share his passion and knowledge with the rest of the world. All this makes The Watch both a fascinating and entertaining to read, or, if you don't feel like reading, a nice way to feast your eyes on pretty shiny pictures.
If, like me, you're interested in reading even more about watches after finishing The Watch, I can recommend Cult Watches: The World's Enduring Classics. Instead of discussing the different watch models of a variety brands, Cult Watches picks out 30 specific "cult" watches, and tells the detailed story behind each watch and its manufacturer. Although most of the brands in that book are described in this book as well, some of them that are only mentioned briefly in The Watch are covered in more detail in Cult Watches.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am reading this cover to cover, as there is a wealth of useful and fascinating information in a very well presented hardback, with excellent photography. A must for watch lovers!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the perfect book for those who are just starting to get interested in the world of watches, or who just appreciate great watch photography.
You'll read about the big brands that everyone's heard of such as Rolex and Omega. Then you'll discover the even more luxurious brands that watch connoiseurs collect, such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and A. Lange & Sohne.
A great introduction to haute horologie then, and a nice reference work for deciding which watch to buy next!
You'll read about the big brands that everyone's heard of such as Rolex and Omega. Then you'll discover the even more luxurious brands that watch connoiseurs collect, such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and A. Lange & Sohne.
A great introduction to haute horologie then, and a nice reference work for deciding which watch to buy next!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What makes a good book
When you read a novel, it is rare that you read it again. It is a one-stop read...usually. When you read a book like this, the difference between a good book and a bad one is the... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Arthur Baron
A superb introduction to watches.
If you're new to the wonderful world of watches this is the perfect book at an excellent price. The book covers 50 of the world's top watch makers and companies and provides a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stephen Lewis
Excellent introduction to the world of watches
As a newcomer to the world of watches, I found this book very good. It gave a brief history of watches, introduced 50 of the best-known brands (subjectively chosen, of course), and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Daniel Hind
A great buy
I was really pleased with this purchase. The book is great, very informative without being too wordy, with fantastic photography of the watches. Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2009 by C. J. Dingee
good but not great
Okay for beginners, but for anybody who has a real interest and more than a couple of months of reading behind them, this is too basic and too biased towards the american brands... Read more
Published on 31 July 2009 by Jaz29
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