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- The first complete book dedicated to one of the most desirable chronographs of the 1960s, Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver by NIVADA & CROTON Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver: this singular name belongs to one of the most original professional watches of the 1960s, combining an unparalleled number of functions with a timeless design. Created in 1961, this chronograph was produced for around ten years under several brand names, through a partnership between the Swiss company NIVADA SA and the American firm CROTON WATCH CO. This led to some of its dials bearing probably the most complicated name in watchmaking history: CROTON NIVADA GRENCHEN Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver. Thanks to the authors' trademark rigorous methodology, the signature of the 'ONLY' reference works, this book reveals the incredible diversity of the Chronomaster models. It is intended both as an initiation for connoisseurs of exceptional watches and as a reference guide for collectors. This legendary watch will doubtless thus regain the place it deserves among the most desirable 1960s chronographs. Also available in the series: Moonwatch Only ISBN 9782940506170 Flightmaster Only ISBN 9782940506200
"Initially designed for automobile racing teams and engineers, the OMEGA Speedmaster embarked on a very different trajectory when NASA chose it to accompany astronauts heading for the Moon in 1965. Its involvement in the space adventure has propelled the Moonwatch to the top of the list of celebrated timepieces. After years of research and observation, the authors present a complete panorama of the Moonwatch in a systematic work that is both technical and attractive, making it the inescapable reference book for this legendary watch. This third edition has been enriched with 17 new models, revised information and a new chapter featuring pictures of astronauts and their Speedmasters."--Back cover.
The history of Rolex is inextricably linked to its founder Hans Wilsdorf, who took the first steps in the world of Swiss watchmaking as he dreamed about a timepiece that could be worn around the wrist. This experimental research led Rolex to achieve its highest goals in both technological innovation and in the use of the finest materials alone. Its models have been photographed on the wrists of political leaders, sports champions, and film and fashion celebrities, transforming each Rolex into a fully-fledged status symbol, a synonym of elegance and precision. Including essays with a historical and technical slant, in-depth descriptions of the most representative pieces and a brief glossary, the pages in this book sparkle with golden hands, diamond-studded dials and patent-leather watchbands, illustrated in period photographs and macro-detail. The volume ends with a chapter dedicated to the most amazing auctions that saw the sale of the Geneva-based company's vintage watches. AUTHOR: Mara Cappelletti, journalist and consultant for many publications by antiquarians and jewellery historians, she is also a professor of the history of jewellery at the Istituto Superiore di Arte Orafa Galdus. In collaboration with Osvaldo Patrizzi, watch collector and world-class watch expert. SELLING POINTS: * The history, icons, and the record-breaking models of the Geneva-based Rolex watch company * A lavishly illustrated book for the lovers of watches, elegance and precision 150 colour illustrations
'Behind a watch there are often hidden stories. Stories of those who made it and those who wore it. From the watchmaker to the diver, from the astronaut to the collector, from father to son - from buyer to thief even - a watch does not age. As it is handed on and, as it travels, from the Joux valley in Switzerland to the saleroom, from the depths of the ocean to the moon, and from the pages of a catalogue to those of this book, a watch only gains in substance.' Clément Mazarian From mechanical watches to chronographs, quartz watches to divers', Exceptional Watches will transport you through time, uncovering the histories behind the most coveted watch models. Collector Clément Mazarian of Collection Personelle tells the stories of 90 era-defining watches from the early 1900s up to the present day, each one meticulously catalogued and accompanied by a stunning image from celebrated photographer Henry Leutwyler. Illustrated technical pages clearly explain the mechanics of these timepieces, while profiles of the watches give readers insight into their cultural histories. Exceptional Watches is a treasure trove for collectors and enthusiasts alike. Featured models include: - Rolex Submariner - Swatch Moonswatch - Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso - Cartier Santos-Dumont - TAG Heuer Monaco - Philippe Patek Calatrava - Omega Flightmaster
- In this work, the authors have applied the rigorous, innovative methodology that contributed to the success of their previous publication, Moonwatch Only, ISBN 9782940506170, and which now represents the signature of the 'ONLY' books The highly evocative Flightmaster name was first mentioned by OMEGA in 1956-57, but it was not until the late 1960s that it was used to designate an incomparable watch, initially intended for aircraft pilots. At the time, it was regarded as the watch industry equivalent of the Swiss army knife, meaning the ultimate professional instrument. The aesthetically and technically remarkable OMEGA Flightmaster symbolizes a period rich in technological and design breakthroughs. Produced over a short period and relatively little known until now, it nonetheless enjoyed exceptional development and an outstanding destiny, notably on the wrist of Soviet cosmonauts in the 1970s. Revealing the entirely unknown and remarkably rich story for the first time, and based on their own methodology, the authors of the successful Moonwatch Only book dedicated to the OMEGA Speedmaster, provide a comprehensive account of the many variations and evolutions of the different Flightmaster models. The result is an essential reference work for all passionate brand enthusiasts and collectors. Contents: Foreword Section 1: Introduction; Flightmaster - what's in a name?; Some key points; Operation; Ten misconceptions to reconsider Section 2: A Legend's Genesis and History; A world of change; Creating a legend; Famous aviators and the ultimate destiny of a tool-watch: Russian space adventures Section 3: Main Components; An original approach; Caliber; Case; Dial; Bezel; Hands; Crowns and pushers; Glass; Bracelet; Accessories Section 4: Models; Introduction; Overview; Timeline; Tables.
The Watch is the most popular book on vintage and contemporary mechanical watches, appealing to both beginners and experts. In the decade since it was published, the international audience of watch lovers and watch collectors has grown exponentially. It’s time for The Watch, Thoroughly Revised. For this new edition, the original author, Gene Stone, is joined by Stephen Pulvirent of Hodinkee.com. Together, they have thoroughly revamped the book to reflect the current state of the watch world, with the addition of new brands, new models, and more focused and nuanced coverage of the traditional brand leaders, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, and TAG Heuer.
Two wealthy and powerful men engage in a decades-long contest to create and possess the most remarkable watch in history. James Ward Packard of Warren, Ohio, was an entrepreneur and a talented engineer of infinite curiosity, a self-made man who earned millions from his inventions, including the design and manufacture of America’s first luxury car—the elegant and storied Packard. Henry Graves, Jr., was the very essence of blue-blooded refinement in the early 1900s: son of a Wall Street financier, a central figure in New York high society, and a connoisseur of beautiful things—especially fine watches. Then, as now, expensive watches were the ultimate sign of luxury and wealth, but in the early twentieth century the limitless ambition, wealth, and creativity of these two men pushed the boundaries of mathematics, astronomy, craftsmanship, technology, and physics to create ever more ingenious timepieces. In any watch, features beyond the display of hours, minutes, and seconds are known as “complications.” Packard and Graves spurred acclaimed Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe to create the Mona Lisa of timepieces—a fabled watch that incorporated twenty-four complications and took nearly eight years to design and build. For the period, it was the most complicated watch ever created. For years it disappeared, but then it surfaced at a Sotheby’s auction in 1999, touching off a heated bidding war, shattering all known records when it fetched $11 million from an anonymous bidder. New York Times bestselling author Stacy Perman takes us from the clubby world of New York high society into the ateliers of the greatest Swiss watchmakers, and into the high-octane, often secretive subculture of modern-day watch collecting. With meticulous research, vivid historical details, and a wealth of dynamic personalities, A Grand Complication is the fascinating story of the thrilling duel between two of the most intriguing men of the early twentieth century. Above all, it is a sweeping chronicle of innovation, the desire for beauty, and the lengths people will go to possess it.
“A dynamic group biography studded with design history and high-society dash . . . [This] elegantly wrought narrative bears the Cartier hallmark.”—The Economist The “astounding” (André Leon Talley) story of the family behind the Cartier empire and the three brothers who turned their grandfather’s humble Parisian jewelry store into a global luxury icon—as told by a great-granddaughter with exclusive access to long-lost family archives “Ms. Cartier Brickell has done her grandfather proud.”—The Wall Street Journal The Cartiers is the revealing tale of a jewelry dynasty—four generations, from revolutionary France to the 1970s. At its heart are the three Cartier brothers whose motto was “Never copy, only create” and who made their family firm internationally famous in the early days of the twentieth century, thanks to their unique and complementary talents: Louis, the visionary designer who created the first men’s wristwatch to help an aviator friend tell the time without taking his hands off the controls of his flying machine; Pierre, the master dealmaker who bought the New York headquarters on Fifth Avenue for a double-stranded natural pearl necklace; and Jacques, the globe-trotting gemstone expert whose travels to India gave Cartier access to the world’s best rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, inspiring the celebrated Tutti Frutti jewelry. Francesca Cartier Brickell, whose great-grandfather was the youngest of the brothers, has traveled the world researching her family’s history, tracking down those connected with her ancestors and discovering long-lost pieces of the puzzle along the way. Now she reveals never-before-told dramas, romances, intrigues, betrayals, and more. The Cartiers also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the firm’s most iconic jewelry—the notoriously cursed Hope Diamond, the Romanov emeralds, the classic panther pieces—and the long line of stars from the worlds of fashion, film, and royalty who wore them, from Indian maharajas and Russian grand duchesses to Wallis Simpson, Coco Chanel, and Elizabeth Taylor. Published in the two-hundredth anniversary year of the birth of the dynasty’s founder, Louis-François Cartier, this book is a magnificent, definitive, epic social history shown through the deeply personal lens of one legendary family.
Over a short ten-year time-span, Hodinkee has positioned itself as the preeminent and most distinguished destination for modern and vintage wristwatch enthusiasts. Exiting a career in finance, Ben Clymer decided to fuse his horological and writing passions in order to start a blog discussing everything from new products to vintage wristwatch auctions. Titling his endeavor after the Czech word hodinky, which means ‘little watch,’ Clymer sought to create a platform that was casual and accessible to all levels of enthusiasts—within a few years The New York Times dubbed him the “High Priest of Horology.”