500 Years 100 Watches

Dimensions: 9,75 x 1,19 x 12,13 inç Pages: 304 This exquisite and informative selection of one hundred watches, compiled by two of the world's leading experts on watch collecting, traces the evolution of the watch, highlighting the extraordinary, important and beautifully crafted timepieces of the past half millennium. For centuries, people have been fascinated by watches; due to their technical precision, unique design or historical significance. Each of the hundred watches featured in this elegant book stands out for one or more of these qualities. Organized chronologically and divided by centuries, the hours are presented on large double-page spreads with excellent photography accompanied by engaging, sharp text. Readers will discover examples of the oldest clock forms; an astonishing Elizabethan clock with an astrolabic dial; an early 17th-century clock encrusted with a single emerald; two of the earliest clocks to include a hairspring, a feature that revolutionized portable timekeepers; and some of the first repeating and perpetual calendar clocks. These are followed by the first lever clock invented by Thomas Mudge; important precision watches; Enamel and automaton clocks from the early 19th century; extremely complex watches from Breguet and Patek Philippe; Sir Winston Churchill's yellow gold World Time Victory watch; a Rolex wristwatch made to commemorate India's Republic Day; an Omega Speedmaster going into space; and a Roger Smith wristwatch, completed in 2023. This historic collection of superbly reproduced photographs, appearing together in book form for the first time, will appeal to sophisticated collectors, amateur watch enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the art and science of horology.