The Best Watch Books Of 2021

December 04, 2021

I rediscovered reading for pleasure this year. A preposterous statement, you might say, given the fact I spend all day reading and writing about watches and my heretofore inefficacious undergraduate degree in English literature, but it's true. Before 2021 reared its ugly head, it had been many years since I found myself sitting and enjoying a novel or work of nonfiction. My media diet was steady, sure, but it lacked the substance C?and I lacked the stamina C?that a steady appetite of physical books ably provides. Given my restored appetite for long-haul reading, I naturally found myself adding a number of new watch texts to my reading list and library. It was a good year for watch books. We have a first-person narrative, a few works of scholarship, and even a novel that made the cut this year. Please note that I'm only including books I've actually handled and read, so I haven't included either Chris Dahlman's This Is Gyachung (although I do have a copy on order!) or Ali Nael's Patek Philippe: My Dream Collection. I've also provided links to purchase the book where applicable. 'About Time: A History Of Civilization In 12 Clocks' By David Rooney David Rooney's debut book was the highlight of the year for me. The former curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Rooney has a curious and engaging voice that lends credibility to his historical observations on the different ways 12 specific timekeeping devices have impacted the growth of humanity over the centuries. About Time is educational and entertaining in the best way; I would even go so far as to say its closest stylistic reference would be David S. Landes's essential A Revolution In Time.Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 'The Worlds Of Jaquet Droz' By Sandrine Girardier Pierre Jaquet-Droz is one of the most innovative and inspiring mechanical minds of all time. As much an artist as he was an engineer, he is still regarded by today's leading watchmakers as one of the most important historical figures in all of horology. What I deeply admire about this text is the emphasis placed on Jaquet-Droz as a human and as a thinker C?something often skipped over today. It's also quite enjoyable to review Jaquet-Droz's original pocket watches and see how they've influenced the aesthetic choices made by Jaquet Droz C the brand C?today.?Available in the HODINKEE Shop. 'Air Time: Watches Inspired by Aviation, Aeronautics, and Pilots' By Mark Bernardo The final release in a trilogy of coffee table books dedicated to tool watches (it was preceded by the appropriately named Drive Time and Sea Time), Air Time is, as you likely guessed, all about the world of pilot's watches. Authored by Mark Bernardo, the longtime Senior Editor of WatchTime magazine in the United States, Air Time excels by presenting the past, present, and future of the aviation watch genre through a series of short essays. Don't miss the afterword, written by retired American astronaut Scott Kelly.Available in the HODINKEE Shop and at Rizzoli. 'Reverso' By Nick Foulkes Nicholas Foulkes has helped break new ground for the watch writing category over the past 15 years. An author by trade, Foulkes famously penned Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography in 2016, and this year, he turned his sights on Jaeger-LeCoultre's icon C the Reverso. While some works of horological scholarship are dull and dry affairs that are more akin to spec sheets than actual writing, Foulkes brings his characteristic, highly expressive style to the history of the world's most famous two-faced watch. It's classic Foulkes and all the better for it.Available in the HODINKEE Shop. 'Depth Charge' By Jason Heaton Does this James Bond-esque thriller novel count as a watch book? Maybe, maybe not. Do I care? Not at all. The first novel penned by our dear friend and colleague Jason Heaton, Depth Charge is a rollicking good time packed with shipwrecks, nuclear missiles, and mercenaries. Watches and gear are a natural part of the Depth Charge narrative, but it's Heaton's action-packed prose that has me already anticipating the novel's in-progress sequel.?Available in the HODINKEE Shop. Lead image by I?aki del Olmo. Shop this story Discover more watch books in the HODINKEE Shop Library.Explore the official?HODINKEE Holiday Gift Guide?for more seasonal inspiration.