Masters Of Contemporary Watchmaking [Hardcover]

Great watches are usually the end of a story rather than the story itself. It is how the watch came into being; the thought process; the trials and tribulations of the man - and up until now it has usually been a man - behind the watch that provides the raison d'être of the watch itself. Giant leaps in technology have less impact without the human touch: sending a probe to Mars is impressive, but landing a man on the moon was breathtaking.

Watchmaking is no different. To understand sublime timepieces you have to understand something of great watchmakers; however, that isn't always easy. Master watchmakers tend to either work for large brands, where their roles are hidden under layers of marketing fluff, or as independents, where they likely to have little or marketing presence at all. And in both cases, when we do manage to learn a little in an article or press release, it is often too shallow and product orientated to reveal much of the watchmaker himself.

Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking provides an in-depth insight into 12 great watchmakers - George Daniels, Svend Andersen, Vincent Calabrese, Philippe Dufour, Antoine Preziuse, Franck Muller, Aniceto Pita, Alain Silberstein, Marco Lang, Vianney Halter and Roger Smith- through revealing interviews and lots of photographs, many of which are published for the first time in this book, that would by itself make the book a must have for any watch aficionado, but there's more . . .

It also provides an window into the wider world of independent watchmaking, with pages devoted to Felix Baumgartner, Aaron Beçsei, Nicolas Delaloye, Romain Gauthier, Paul Gerber, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, Richard Habring, Beat Haldimann, John and Stephen McGonigle, Rainer Neinaber, Thomas Prescher, Daniel Roth, Stepan Sarpaneva, Peter Speake-Marin, Andreas Strehler, Christian van der Klaauw, Kari Voutilainen and Volker Vyskocil.

If you appreciate fine watchmaking, this is a book that you will read over and over and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

What drives the craftsmen who actually `make' a watch all by themselves

Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking. By Michael Clerizo. Published 2009 by Thames & Hudson Inc., New York, NY. (USA). ISBN 978 0-500-51485-6. Hardcover, dustjacket, 292 pages, 30x30 cm. 672 illustrations, 493 in color.With a Glossary, Bibliography, Source List and Index. Available through www.amazon.com for $54 plus postage (list price $85.-) or borrow from the NAWCC library.

Watchmaker and watchmaking must be two of the words in the English language that are used most frequently in a sense far removed from their original meaning. How many people who are alive today have actually ever `made a watch', all by themselves? A few such people exist; but even if we are generous and do not insist that the individual has also made the case and the dial him- or herself there are precious few.

The book under review explores the achievements of a significant sample from among the few contemporary artisans who actually make watches all by themselves - but more importantly, it tries to answer the question: What drives them in their seemingly quixotic quest? Michael Clerizo has conducted lengthy visits and interviews with 29 independent watch creators, exploring their motivations, their biographies, their work styles, the philosophies behind their products, and he describes the resulting masterpieces. 220 pages of the book are devoted to 11 chapters describing on 20 pages each the 11 craftsmen he found most fascinating, as well as their work. All these chapters are structured identically: Starting with a portrait page, then 8 pages of narrative, followed by 11 pages of large color photographs illustrating the oeuvre. The artists covered here are: George Daniels, Svend Andersen, Vincent Calabrese, Philippe Dufour, Antoine Preziuso, Franck Muller, Aniceto Jimenez Pita, Alain Silberstein, Marco Lang, Vianney Halter and Roger Smith.

The final section of the book contains shorter chapters (either 2 or 4 pages each) on 18 additional craftsmen, who are introduced only through pictures of themselves and their creations, but without a text section. The list here includes Felix Baumgartner, Aaron Becsei, Nicolas Delaloye, Romain Gauthier, Paul Gerber, Greubel Forsey, Richard Habring, Beat Haldimann, J & S McGonigle, Rainer Nienaber, Thomas Prescher, Daniel Roth, Stepan Sarpaneva, Peter Speake-Marin, Andreas Strehler, Christiaan van der Klaauw, Kari Voutilainen, Volker Vyskocil.

The 29 creators covered in this book account only for a miniscule portion of the high-grade watches produced today in the world, but in many ways their stories condense the essence behind the resurgence of the high-grade mechanical watch. The individuals covered range from those who by choice remain single practicioners, who produce less than a handful of pieces a year, to some who have grown into small brands like Silberstein or Franck Muller. But no matter how small or relatively big their businesses are, these craftsmen are all incredibly passionate about their work and hold stong and interesting opinions about contemporary horology.

Unlike other publications on extremely exclusive timepieces this book avoids the platitudes crafted by the image consultants of the brands and rehashed endlessly by their public relations advisers. It speaks in the voice of the creative geniuses behind these innovative watches, and the reader gets a good sense about the personalities involved. This reviewer found the book entertaining, inspirational and educational. It is a large and heavy book, not conducive for bedtime reading. It is also a pretty and nicely designed book, in some regards too much so: The bulk of the text is printed in `white on gold background', admittedly elegant, but rather hard to read in less than perfect lighting conditions. The choice which individuals to cover in this kind of book is a subjective one; this reviewer would have prefered to hear more from the ones doing all the work themselves, and less from makers like Alain Silbersstein and Franck Muller who really belong more to the corporate world than to the sphere of craftsmen. In spite of these shortcomings this title is probably the most engaging description published recently on the smallest, but also most interesting sector of the contemporary watchmaking industry.

Fortunat Mueller-Maerki, Sussex NJ. (May 2010)

Let me start by simply stating that I love watches. I have an obsession. It's an obsession that cannot be overcome by just buying more watches either. And, books like this do not help...

This book is truly spectacular. The sheer size and weight alone is impressive enough. The images depicted are something you just can't get by looking at or in a watch. Nor can you get such great information about some of the greatest living watchmakers of our time. The author did a terrific job of capturing each of the watchmakers stories. Including very candid information from such controversial masters such as Franck Muller.

A good portion of this book provides a deep look into the minds of several great watchmakers. In addition, towards the end, several other watchmakers are introduced as are their time pieces. Speaking of the time pieces, the images provide very large and high resolution views of some amazing movements. One can quickly forget how small the parts are when viewing at such a large scale.

If you have a passion for watches, then you cannot go wrong by buying this book. If you have a love of anything mechanical, then you will quickly learn to appreciate the fine art of watchmaking.