You can’t go into a bookstore and buy a book about watches. If it is a specialized store, you can, but in general you can’t. I have not seen watch-themed books in Brussels let alone in a country like Latvia. So how do you buy and initially find out about these books? From my own experience, there are two ways: to follow sites like Hodinkee where you might stumble upon an article about a recently published book (a watch company promoted of course), or follow certain people on Instagram who write them like Martijn van der Ven and Rebecca Struthers. For me, the latter approach has allowed me to find absolute gems. For my most recent book I purchased and read “Time For A Change: Discovering Vintage Enicar”. I don’t remember when I started to follow Martijn on Instagram. I know that I followed him due to his posts about watches. Even though his book has been out for a while now, it took me a couple of years after publishing to bring it to my collection finally. A collection it is.
You might remember that a little over a year ago I published an article about my watch books. Since then my collection has grown. Also, the first article contained books that I have in Latvia none of whom came together with me to Brussels. This article on the other hand has books that I have managed to acquire during my time living and working in the capital of Europe with one exception.
1) Time For A Change: Discovering vintage Enicar by Martijn van der Ven
Martijn van der Ven has done something I would like to do as well. To write a book about a subject one is passionate about. The book’s author is in no way connected with the original Enicar brand. He simply loves and admires the company and its products. So much in fact that it has turned into a beautiful book that recently won third place at the independent publisher book awards in the coffee table book category. The book is beautifully put together with archive material, the author’s photos, and even memories from people who used to work for the brand. It is truly a wonderful book that shows in every one of its 250+ pages the passion and dedication of the person who put it all together. I hope to one day be able to create something similar as well. Look here if you want to grab a copy for your collection.
2) The Watch: Thoroughly Revised by Gene Stone and Stephen Pulvirent
If you ever think it’s bad to have many coffee table books think again. Just look at the office of the great Mr Ralph Lauren. The desk in the office is full of coffee table books. I love it. Speaking of coffee table books, I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone “The Watch: Thoroughly Revised” by Gene Stone and Stephen Pulvirent. Even if you are not interested in watches, this book will be appreciated by that one friend who is. For those unfamiliar with the industry, Mr Pulvirent is one of the great names in the watch industry. He used to work for a long time for Hodinkee before deciding to move on on his own. You will not find Enicar in this book, but you will manage to find almost every other brand. No, there are no microbrands in it. Beautiful photos with eloquently written descriptions make it a must in every watch-nerds cave.
3) Hands of Time: A Watchmaker’s History of Time by Rebecca Struthers
If you think this is another Time Tamed, think again. Rebecca Struthers has written an exceptional book not only about watches and clocks throughout history but also about her journey in the world of watchmaking. She is a watchmaker and a watch repairer (together with her husband). I have listened to some of her interviews, and I am stunned by how well-spoken and passionate she is about watches. Yes, she has a PhD in horology. If there is a PhD I would like to suffer through, then most probably this is the one. I will admit it has been a minute since I read this book, but while writing these lines I come to realize that this may be one of those rare books that should be read again (together with “All In Good Time”). Buy it and read it.
4) Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography by Nicholas Foulkes
This is a watch book. This is a biography. This is a biography of one of the world’s most famous watch companies. When this book was first published I could not afford it. As of now, it is the most expensive book I have ever purchased. Safe to say this record will be broken at some point, but currently this book by Mr Foulkes is at the top with a wide margin. It is the authorized biography which means the author had access to the vast archives of Patek Philippe to explore its rich history, he had access to the Patek Philippe museum like no other, and Mr Foulkes had access to the Stern family. As a result, you get an exceptional book that details how Antoine Norbert de Patek and Jean Adrien Philippe met and built the company creating some of the most desired objects on the planet, it holds beautiful images of one of the most beautiful watches man has ever created. The book is heavy. The book is big. Honestly, I have always wondered what kind of a watch Mr. Foulkes got from Patek Philippe upon delivering this piece of written art. Surely he must have received something. We may never know. If you are fortunate to have the means, this book is a must-read for both watch enthusiasts and biography lovers.
5) Timekeepers: How The World Became Obsessed With Time by Simon Garfield
This is a hard one to write about. I bought this book while on my trip to London where we went to Greenwich. As you might expect it has a museum with books, sand clocks, and various other interesting items. “Timekeepers” is not a book about watches. At one point I even thought the author disliked watches and people who buy and wear them. Instead, the book is a set of stories among other things about a man who arrives from India to England and decides to live according to the time in India; about ten-hour clocks; about trains like the Mallard, and more. Should you read it and have it in your collection? Honestly, when picking this book I thought it would be another Time Tamed (it is a book by Mr Foulkes, read my previous watch-themed book article). It is not as fascinating as the fabulous book by Mrs Struthers, but it is different. Try it, maybe you will like it.
6) Latitude: The Astonishing Adventure that Shaped the World by Nicholas Crane
If you have read “Longitude” then you need to read “Latitude”. Although there is no famous clockmaker at the center of this, there is a fascinating story. Nothing more to say.
7) Watchmaking by George Daniels
If there is one book that every watch nerd needs to have, regardless of the budget, then it is this one. The Bible of Watchmaking was written by the one and only Mr George Daniels. I believe it was Mr Roger Smith who said if you aspire to create your watch from scratch then apart from tools and raw materials you need only this book. It has everything from detailed explanations to technical drawings and calculations.
At the beginning, I mentioned that there was one book that I did not acquire while living in Brussels. This is the one. This is the book that my wonderful wife gifted to me completely by surprise. I brought it with me after my last visit to Latvia. Furthermore, this is a book that I have not yet read. It will change considering my upcoming birthday and my planned gift to myself. More on that later on. Now I can just wholeheartedly recommend this item. If you are interested in how your beautiful mechanical wristwatch operates you need to have this book in your library. Who knows, maybe you will decide to build your next watch yourself (just warn your wife/husband before you dwell into a massive project like that).
8) Zenith by Joel Duval
This is my first watch book in French. I have not yet read it. It is big. It is detailed. My wife found it in one of those shady shops where the owner most probably is laundering money. Did you know that the iconic Rolex Daytona was once powered by the same caliber located in the Zenith El Primero? Only when Rolex created its chronograph movement did it ditch the El Primero engine. Zenith has some history. Therefore I finally need to get my act together and learn French to be able to read and to enjoy this book. Also, I have a couple of French Playboy magazines waiting to be read as well, but that is a completely unrelated fact. I will have to follow up on this book in my next watchbook article. By then I will have read it.
9) Wristwatches
A book about watches in three languages? Yes. I have in my collection the Wristwatch Handbook by Ryan Schmidt, which unfortunately is not yet featured on my blog. This book is something similar, although the book by Mr Schmidt is solely in English. I have not yet read this one as well. Surprisingly, I did not buy this book also. Do you know who did it? You guessed it, my wife. She bought this book at a used book sale. It explains why it is without its dust cover and why it looks worn out. This is one of those rare finds that you hope to get every time you go to a thrift shop. Luckily, my wife snagged this one. Should you have it? Yes. Should you also have the Wristwatch Handbook? Yes, you should.
I love books. I love biographies more. I love watch-themed books on a whole other level. By now this should be clear. With my upcoming watch-themed projects in mind, you can be sure there will be many more watch-related articles in the future. With books, it is going to be a bit difficult, since I already have the majority one would want. Having said that, WatchPrint still does some interesting titles. Like the F.P. Journe for example.
To close out this article, here is a wrist shot with my beautiful Tudor.
Kind regards,
Olaaf
