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Favorite watch related books?

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Favorite watch related books?

Post by AndroidIsAwesome »

Just wondering what watch related books some of you have read. I recently bought "A man and his watch" as a Christmas gift to myself. I'm curious to see why there is so much hype about it. What other books would you guys recommend?
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by MoT »

I honestly haven't read any watch books. "A Man And His Watch" is on the Christmas list I gave my wife, so we'll see if I get it or not.

When I'm not reading for intellectual curiosity (medical papers, etc) I read popular novels, Star Trek books, etc.

Other than watches, I am heavily in to cars. One of the best automotive related books I've read is "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans" by A.J. Baime.
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by DiscoEstScio »

ManOnTime wrote:I honestly haven't read any watch books. "A Man And His Watch" is on the Christmas list I gave my wife, so we'll see if I get it or not.

When I'm not reading for intellectual curiosity (medical papers, etc) I read popular novels, Star Trek books, etc.

Other than watches, I am heavily in to cars. One of the best automotive related books I've read is "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans" by A.J. Baime.
A Man and His Watch is done really nicely and it was a deal posted on the HUISABH thread before things went awry.

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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by username »

  • Watchmaking by George Daniels - how to do it all the hard way. Treating this book like a tutorial is what landed Roger Smith his apprenticeship with Daniels long after Daniels had given up on finding a suitable apprentice.
  • The World of Watches: History, Technology, Industry by Lucien Trueb - an decent overview of the history and tech, then a look at a large number of brands (numerous, but brief for each one - 6 pages for Rolex for example, 3 pages for JLC, 1 page for Minerva, 1/2 page for Wenger); not the best source on any one thing, but a useful overview of many. 13 years old and probably fast falling out of date.
Neither of these are of general interest, but either might be of interest to the right reader.
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by MAAHHH THE FRENCH! »

The Phantom Tollbooth.
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by stage12m »

I liked "The Wristwatch Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Mechanical Wristwatches" Lots of great info and done really well. check it out
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by yinzburgher »

stage12m wrote: Fri Dec 21, 2018 6:09 pm I liked "The Wristwatch Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Mechanical Wristwatches" Lots of great info and done really well. check it out


Looks like the reviewers on Amazon agree with you.
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Favorite watch related books?

Post by Robotaz »

Years ago when I first got into Glycine a WUS member who was a buddy on a now-dead forum sent me this book. My memory may be failing me, but I think the author is either Emre or another old school Glycine guy on WUS. I don’t see those people anymore now that Invicta came along. I know they knew Stephen Lack, so they were obviously Glycine guys. I think Emre is the guy who has access to Glycine records and can date watches probably better than anyone on Earth. It’s a shame I don’t see them on there anymore.

Here is a little blurb on the death of Hans Brechbuhler, the owner prior to the Lacks.

https://www.europastar.com/news/1004082 ... ycine.html

Anyway, this is a great book if you like Glycine. The Brechbuhlers wrote a forward personally thanking Andre for his work.

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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by tjcdas »

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ManOnTime wrote: Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:55 am I honestly haven't read any watch books. "A Man And His Watch" is on the Christmas list I gave my wife, so we'll see if I get it or not.

When I'm not reading for intellectual curiosity (medical papers, etc) I read popular novels, Star Trek books, etc.

Other than watches, I am heavily in to cars. One of the best automotive related books I've read is "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans" by A.J. Baime.
Go Like Hell----GREAT book!!

Loved it read it in just a few days, my son read it for a jr high book report and loved it.


Our new puppy is Dino, his dad is Enzo(wife named him from The Art of Racing in the Rain) my son named him saying, he has to be Dino as this was Enzo Ferraris' son, which he learned from the book.
Last edited by tjcdas on Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by tjcdas »

I read "A Man And His Watch" as an ebook on Overdrive my library app. Check your library free for 3 weeks, this is a deals site.

Also on Overdrive

Vintage Wristwatches
by Reyne Haines
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by sistem_32 »

I'm currently enormously enjoying "All in Good Time: Reflections of a Watchmaker" by Daniels. It's extremely interesting to get a glimpse into the life of one of the greatest watchmakers in history. I also own "Watchmaking," but that's heavier stuff. I don't know if I would recommend it unless you have a genuine interest in the nitty-gritty of watchmaking.

I can second the enthusiasm around "A Man & His Watch," it's fun to pull it down now and again to admire some of the vintage pieces or show it to an intrigued relative.

I also recommend "Longitude" by Dava Sobel (full title "Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time"). It details the history of Harrison and his chronometers, which I believe every true enthusiast should be knowledgeable about.

Apart from those books, though, my reading has been fairly limited. Looking forward to exploring some of the stuff mentioned here!
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by BostonCharlie »

I enjoyed Jules Verne's Mysterious Island and have ever since held an idealized notion of a watch as an essential survival tool.
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by yinzburgher »

Gear Patrol just put out an article listing some recommended watch books. Some have already been mentioned here. I haven't actually read any of them.

Here are 10 Books That Every Watch Lover Should Read
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by rinsk21 »

I own a few of these and have read a bunch, but A Man and His Watch is a good, quick book to read but I would borrow it from the library. No real reference value. The Wristwatch Handbook on the other hand is a great book to own and have on-hand.
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Re: Favorite watch related books?

Post by buildingcontractor »

nice post
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