"In 2005, Vacheron Constantin, the world's oldest watch manufacturer in operation, celebrates its 250th anniversary. The famous Geneva house has continued to offer exceptional timepieces, from the first well-preserved watch, manufactured around 1760, to extraordinary contemporary mechanical devices with movements synchronized at 28,800 alternations per hour." "Illustrated with magnificent photographs taken for the occasion, the first part of this work describes the history of a house that is over two centuries old. The second part is dedicated to a catalogue of the prestigious watchmaking collection, gathered in Geneva by Vacheron Constantin. This catalogue presents the factory's most significant pieces, based upon a classification that does credit to the artistic trades that encompass fine watchmaking."--BOOK JACKET.

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.

Minerva-Montblanc embodies a rich heritage and produces original, beautiful, and luxurious timepieces. The Minerva watch manufacture, established in 1858, produces fine handmade watches in a time-honored fashion. A forward-looking brand, it encourages new and modern tools and production while maintaining the spirit of a small company. In 2007, Minerva joined forces with renowned fountain pen producer Montblanc and created the Minerva Institute for Research in Fine Watchmaking to safeguard the company’s savoir faire and craftsmanship. Reviving the most sophisticated tradition of Swiss watchmaking, the company’s legendary models include the two single-button chronographs of the Villeret 1858 Collection and the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec-the first Montblanc movement entirely conceived in the manufacture’s workshops.

The Beauty of Time, published in partnership with the prestigious Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, presents a panorama of the most beautiful timepieces from the Middle Ages to the present. The book contains a thoughtfully curated selection of nearly two hundred wonders--from mechanical and pendulum clocks to pocket- and wristwatches.

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.

More than a simple chronology, this volume explores the technical resources used to measure time—solar, hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical—just as it explains the key factors behind the major breakthroughs in the science of horology. From ancient astronomical observatories to atomic clocks, instruments for telling time have always been closely linked to the cutting-edge sciences of the day, ranging from medicine and navigation to aeronautics. Inventions in timekeeping have been crucial to the organization of human society and to activities such as farming, industry, and trade. Each new development was based on the needs and accomplishments of its day yet spurred further discoveries. Writing a history of time means viewing human genius through the prism of the steady mastery of a crucial technology. The patient, long-term conquest of accuracy has been the result of successive advances from sundial to wristwatch up to the recent exploits of the heirs to this age-old quest, namely master horologists of the twenty-first century.

Self-taught watchmaker and prolific inventor Antoine LeCoultre is one of the greatest personalities in the history of watchmaking. Technological innovations stretching back to 1844—keyless winding systems, shockproof watchcases, the production of miniature components—revolutionized the profession and set standards for the industry. With Parisian stopwatch-maker Edmond Jaeger, he furnished prestigious houses like Vacheron Constantin, Patek Phillipe, and Cartier with movements that made innovative watch design possible. Today Jaeger-LeCoultre preserves its legacy of craftsmanship and is a principal player in precision technologies and design. Using previously unpublished archival material and new photography, Jaeger-LeCoultre traces the history of their historic manufacturer. A catalogue raisonné of the company's famous movement designs and timepieces, including the Reverso and the Atmos, make this an essential reference for all watch collectors.