Several weeks ago, when I interviewed Dr Rebecca Struthers of Struthers Watchmakers, one of the many things we spoke about was her upcoming book Hands of Time, which was due to be published on 27th April in the UK and 13th June in the US. During the interview, she described the book as “a watchmaker’s ode to watchmaking”, with the intent of reaching a wider audience than just the horologically-inclined.
The idea of the book and the way that she spoke about it really intrigued me, so I pre-ordered a copy for myself and got stuck into it over the past week or so. I am so glad that I did, as I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Hands of Time – A Watchmaker’s History of Time by Rebecca Struthers
Hands of Time - A Watchmaker's History of Time by Rebecca Struthers
What struck me most about this book is how accessible it is for absolutely anyone, whether you’re even remotely interested in watches or clocks, or time itself.
During our interview, Rebecca described how she wanted the book to be “the book for watch geeks to give to the significant others in their lives, to convince them that the thing they love is a fascinating and enjoyable subject”, and I have to say I think she has done just that. And that is no mean feat for a book which compresses 40,000 years of the history of time into about 220 pages!
Hands of Time charts the course of human beings’ relationship with time, from the earliest evidence of our attempt to monitor time (the Lebombo Bone with its 30 spaces created by 29 notches in the bone to represent a lunar month), the first time that a clock ever made a “tick tock” sound, the stories of notable brands and esteemed watchmakers from history, all the way through to the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, the subsequent resurgence in mechanical watchmaking, and even atomic clocks.
Throughout, the book presents as the perfect cocktail of autobiographical anecdotes describing Struthers’ own journey to becoming a master watchmaker, mixed with a contagious curiosity to explore not only the direct history of horology, but importantly also looking at the wider historical and cultural contexts of the times, as well as what we can learn from studying the relationship between horology and society.
Struthers’ investigations uncover the stories behind notable timepieces from history and what became of them, unexpected discoveries such as the Cheapside Hoard, or even the world’s oldest watch which was bought for £10 in 1987 at a flea market, which is now worth an estimated £45-75 million. Some Sherlock Holmes level detective work around a mysterious watchmaker named John Wilter even comes complete with a surprising twist at the end!
With photos, illustrations done by Rebecca’s husband and master watchmaker Craig, a full bibliography, glossary, and even a step-by-step high-level description of how to approach restoring a watch from a watchmaker’s perspective, Hands of Time really does pack a staggering amount of history and story into what is undoubtedly a very enjoyable read, and all told with an authentic and passionate voice which lends an infectious enthusiasm.
It’s unsurprising to me that it was BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week!
I would recommend Hands of Time frankly for anybody – not just watch enthusiasts. As a watch enthusiast, I would put this near the top of the pile for recommendations as it provides such a comprehensive baseline from which to build your own knowledge of horology; as a non-enthusiast, it still comes near the top of the pile for recommendations as it is just an enjoyable and interesting read about a topic that you may not know a great deal about, that shapes our everyday lives so intimately!
Available here (commission earned)
To learn more about Dr. Rebecca Struthers and Struthers Watchmakers, please visit StruthersWatchmakers.co.uk or follow @StruthersWatchmakers, @Rebecca_Struthers, and @Craig_Struthers on Instagram.
If you have any questions, please get in touch via our Contact page, or via our Instagram.
Don’t forget to check out the Watch Books Page or Amazon Watch Books List for more recommendations!
You might also be interested in:
- In Conversation with Dr Rebecca Struthers
- Influential Watchmakers: Abraham-Louis Breguet
- Independent Watchmaking – An Ode to the Indies
- Watch Stationery and Gift Ideas
- Watch Books, Watch Boxes and more at the Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon (commissions earned)
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