The Magic of Watches: A Smart Introduction to Fine Watchmaking

by Louis Nardin

What is a beautiful watch? How do you make a good choice? The Magic of Watches explains how and why these little objects are so precious, fascinating and exciting. The book presents why a one-million-dollar watch might be less precise and more fragile than one that costs 15 dollars. It comes back to the origins of the measurement of how did we go from the water clock to the wristwatch? The book goes on to how does a mechanical movement work? How does a quartz one work?; delves into what is a 'complication' and when do we speak about 'chronometer'?; showcases how do we enamel a dial?





The Magic of Watches is it focuses in detail on the basics in order to understand and love watches better.

Genres: Nonfiction

232 pages, Hardcover

Published January 9, 2019

Reviews

[Lukáš Pelcman | From Book to Mind]

I read this book cover to cover and, as much as I consider myself a watch enthusiast, I am sorry to say that I was left unimpressed with it. Don't get me wrong, it is full of useful information and systematically deals with practically everything that relates to watches, and yet I couldn't help but to expect more. I guess I missed some sort of a background story or at the very least some recommendations as to what sources of information does the author consider reliable (instead of just somewhat generally stating that one can find lots of useful information on-line). Admittedly, the book is foremost intended for people that are relatively new to the subject and should provide them with necessary knowledge base to help them get more into watches, which it does. Though when I going through the pages, it reminded me more of an encyclopeadia rather than something fresh with some sort of extra value. Speaking of which, the book now seems to me way overpriced considering that there are practically no pictures (photographs) that could justify its higher price (through licensing fees). To conclude, I would rather recommend to spend the money on a new watch strap /bracelet instead.