Any time is an appropriate time to gift a watch lover with a book containing well-written words and beautiful photos of watches.
At Quill & Pad we love reading books as much as we love writing them (on occasion). Here is a selection of inspiring books we have reviewed, suitable for gifting or reading at any time of year.
‘F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit’ by Jean-Pierre Grosz
F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit by Jean-Pierre Grosz
This book takes you on a magical trip through the life and times of independent watchmaker François-Paul Journe. Particularly fascinating to me were the anecdotes and photos from Journe’s young life: it was refreshing to see this talented artisan when he was young and carefree.
A must-read for fans of independent watchmaking.
For the full review, see Book Review: ‘F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit’ By Jean-Pierre Grosz.
For more information and/or to purchase this book: www.amazon.com/F-P-JOURNE-Invenit-Fecit-Jean-Pierre-Grosz.
‘Retro Watches’ by Josh Sims and Mitch Greenblatt with photography by Tyler Little
Retro Watches by Josh Sims and Mitch Greenblatt
If you are interested in design-led vintage watches, you may have heard of Mitch Greenblatt and his now-discontinued blog, Watchismo Times.
Retro Watches tells the story of Greenblatt and more than 100 pieces from his crazy cool collection of obscure, “retro-styled” watches mostly originating in periods of design experimentation. Retro Watches is a quirky and interesting collector’s guide for those who want to differentiate themselves and their wrists – at times outlandishly.
As a timeless buying guide to inexpensive vintage collectibles with funky and unusual design from an outlier of a period in watch history, this book functions perfectly, informatively, inexpensively, and very aesthetically. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
For the full review, see Book Review: ‘Retro Watches’ By Josh Sims And Mitch Greenblatt.
You can purchase Retro Watches at www.amazon.com/Retro-Watches-Modern-Collectors-Guide/dp/0500022968.
‘The Magic of Watches’ is available in English and French
The Magic of Watches by Louis Nardin
If there was ever a book perfect for gifting to anyone with even a mild interest in watchmaking, The Magic of Watches is the one.
The book explains the anatomy of watches from A to Z, how they are put together, and what their components do. There is history and opinion as well, all in easy language.
For the full review, see Book Review: ‘The Magic of Watches’ by Louis Nardin.
For more information and/or to order, please visit www.themagicofwatches.com.
‘The Wristwatch Handbook’ by Ryan Schmidt
The Wristwatch Handbook by Ryan Schmidt
If you are a regular reader of Quill & Pad, you probably know that Ryan Schmidt has contributed articles here and that his posts inform and entertain in equal measure.
The Wristwatch Handbook is not much different in style to those posts: easy language, conversationally written, and interesting topics are what dominate. It is obvious that Schmidt loves watches, and this spark catches quickly.
For the full review, see Book Review: ‘The Wristwatch Handbook’ By Ryan Schmidt.
For more information and/or to order, please visit www.thewristwatchhandbook.com.
‘Chronographs For Collectors’ by Sébastien Chaulmontet and Joël Pynson
Chronographs For Collectors by Sébastien Chaulmontet and Joël Pynson
If you love vintage chronographs, you have just landed in heaven: Chronographs For Collectors has the clearest structure of any compendium I have seen in recent years. Each of the historical chronographs described in this book is rated according to technology, rarity factor, and price.
The premise of this book is to list the historical chronographs that the authors find significant and to tell us why using four-fold chapter organization: a short-but-sweet summary of the chosen brand, original photos taken by Pynson of the chosen watch, an “expert opinion” section, and a related watches/calibers section called “family resemblances.”
For the full review of this book, see Book Review: ‘Chronographs For Collectors’ By Sébastien Chaulmontet And Joël Pynson.
For more information and/or to purchase this book, please visit www.time2tell.com.
You may also enjoy:
Book Review: ‘George Daniels, A Master Watchmaker & His Art’ By Michael Clerizo
Book Review: ‘The Watch, Thoroughly Revised’ By Gene Stone And Stephen Pulvirent
‘Chasing Time’ By Alistair Gibbons, A Compendium Of Vintage Watches
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