Moonwatch Only, the ultimate Moon Watch experience
This work had been creating quite a stir in the profession, as it was eagerly anticipated for months as the ultimate reference on the Speedmaster, for collectors and by collectors alike. The result is far beyond expectations, with 500 tightly packed pages including more than 1000 full-colour illustrations. It contains everything – and we mean literally everything – about the Speedmaster from 1969 to the present. In it, the two authors analyse the odyssey – both in outer space and on Earth - of a watch that has traversed both centuries and the skies.
Requiring several years of research, Moonwatch Only is both technical and good-looking, referencing thousands of notes, entries and details for those with the greatest passion for this model. To date, this is the most complete work on Omega’s flagship creation. And there won’t be anything like it for a long time to come.
The Rolex story
The umpteenth work on the brand with a crown, the uncontested ruler of watchmaking, and the international standard-bearer for Switzerland abroad? Sure, but this one’s for everyone, and that’s what really makes the difference. After a great many books investigating the tiniest variations in the dial fonts, characters and movements of each model, which were essentially designed to keep informed collectors happy, The Rolex Story is presented as a synthesis that is accessible to all. From flagship models to the history of the brand, from its founding family via its most famous ambassadors, this veritable coffee-table book will be read over and over again with the same sense of pleasure thanks to a flowing writing style that is easy to grasp by the widest possible audience.
The New Face of Tradition
A few months ago, Girard-Perregaux developed a new campaign entitled “New Faces of Time”. The concept was to place the watchmaker (rather than the product) centre-stage. The brand nevertheless went a step further: Girard-Perregaux wanted this particular stage to be both international and unexpected, with photos taken in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Times Square, etc. And to crown it all, Girard-Perregaux did not opt for the classic, clichéd image of the grey-haired, experienced watchmaker, but instead for young talents bursting with life, all of whom have opted to work in this watchmaking establishment based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The book titled The New Face of Tradition offers a series of stories and images from of its “Young Watch Masters Tour”, providing a fascinating account of their personal passions, along with incredible photos. Not to mention the not-to-be-missed ‘making of’ these campaigns, in which we can see that dropping off a watchmaker at his mountain workbench at an altitude of 2000 metres was no small feat. A work that is original, constructive and fun, about what is probably one of the best watchmaking campaigns in the past few years.
The Antikythera mechanism, a Calendar Computer
It’s a piece of metal found at the bottom of the sea a century ago. Later, much later, this object was named the “Antikythera mechanism”, an astro-horological creation that was ahead of its time by several millennia. Recomposed thanks to new technologies and Hublot’s input in particular, the Machine and its history are from an era which unleashed the scientific and diving communities as well as governments in its wake. It was probably one of the greatest discoveries of all time in astronomy and watchmaking. This book, written by a Greek journalist, combines unpublished photos of the discovery, direct witness accounts from the key players and the historical background of a unique, exceptional artefact.
Fifty Fathoms, The Dive and Watch History
This richly illustrated, 475-page work, relates the 60-year history of modern scuba diving and the evolution of Blancpain’s famous dive watches, the Fifty Fathoms. The different chapters present 24 adventurers who played a pioneering role in oceanographic exploration, such as Hans Haas, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Stan Waterman. The book includes more than 600 photographs, a timeline marking the important milestones of this era, as well as a glossary. And for keen collectors, a hand-numbered copy will be given to everyone who purchases an Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph, a 250-piece limited edition.
De Midi à MInuit – Les Maîtres Horlogers (From noon to midnight – The Master Watchmakers)
Why is there no reference work on Freemason watchmaking? This discreet, almost secret milieu, prefers being in the background to the limelight. Nevertheless, the knowledge accumulated by the different lodges led their watchmaker members to create exceptional timepieces. Amongst these pieces known only to the select few, one finds symbols clearly marked on the dial as well as subtle details on the movements, both of which are the secret signatures of the Freemasons. This watchmaking tradition blossomed in total secrecy over centuries. Didier Gottardini and Emmanuel Lecugy have brought together hundreds of examples, the vast majority of which have never been photographed. An incredibly rich work, which deals with one of the least known areas in watchmaking.
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*The Antikythera mechanism is not available from Watchprint
