Master Wristwatches

Rating:
Summary: Nice book, but...
Review: I definitely have to agree with the other reviewers. This is a nice compendium of the different watchmakers, it has some good general background of the companies but it only mentions just a few - not all of them.

The photos are not that impressive, you can get better photos at some websites or watch magazines.

I recommend this book for a starting watch collector to get general information. If you want more in-depth knowledge look for other publications. ...

Rating:
Summary: Nice book, but...
Review: I definitely have to agree with the other reviewers. This is a nice compendium of the different watchmakers, it has some good general background of the companies but it only mentions just a few - not all of them.

The photos are not that impressive, you can get better photos at some websites or watch magazines.

I recommend this book for a starting watch collector to get general information. If you want more in-depth knowledge look for other publications. ...

Rating:
Summary: Good coffee table book
Review: I would recommend Master Wristwatches for anyone who has an interest in the history of watchmaking, collecting precision timepieces or just looking at beautiful examples of the world's finest watchmakers' craftmenship. With wonderful pictures and illustrations, Master Wristwatches is on of the best tools for novices and collectors alike to learn more about not only the craft of watchmaking but also the great houses that produce the world's finest watches. There are few text on watches that combine such an enjoyable easy to read format with an in depth examination of the subject matter.

Rating:
Summary: Haven't I Just Read This ... ?
Review: If you've read one Caroline Childers' watch book, you seem to have read them all! This book looks good, has quality paper, decent photography ... but one can't help wondering how the material gets chosen for inclusion! It is not a thorough or complete reference work, nor is it suitable for enthusiasts; however, it may well serve as a beginner's introduction or something to put your coffee on instead of marking the table! Come on Caroline, give us something new, with pictures which follow the text throughout the entire book, coupled to some in-depth research on the manufactures, the watchmakers, the designers, the engineers and the actual calibres, and less waffle about the jewellery aspects - if we want that, we'll buy your other books! And talking of 'waffle' - enlightened though some of it is - if we want it then we can always order the brochures; they're free! Ah, something has just clicked into place ... I thought I'd seen the pictures before. At least it's not one of Patek Phillipe's extortionately priced photographic albums! Check out George Daniels' books for a thorough review of watchmaking or possibly Peter Braun's for a latest review of what's on general release. And A. Lange & Söhne's literature is first-rate!

Rating:
Summary: A showy book on fashion accessories, not about horology
Review: This is a beutifully produced book, and a usefull title to have laying on your coffee tabel if you want to impress your friends about your "sophictication" and discreetly introduce them to the subject that you collect expensive contemporary wristwatches.

It was obviously written with the support of the manufacturers of these geourgeous mechanisms and for much of its course quotes verbatim from their official corporate histories and utilisis the imagery of their advertising a PR departments.

It is however not the book to turn to for factual and objective -including critical- information about specific models
or makers or to learn more about the technology and history of watches.

Fortunat Mueller-Maerki
Chairman of the National Watch and Clock Library