One of my favourite things about being a watch enthusiast is that no matter how long you spend reading and learning, there will never be nothing new to learn. There is always a new story to discover, whether it be a brand, a particular watch, or even a watchmaker.
Furthermore, these stories can be found at any time, and anywhere. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a time where an endless supply of information is at our fingertips to read articles or watch videos online, along with an engaging community all around the world.
I genuinely struggle to think of time spent engaging in any of these kinds of examples where I haven’t come away from the encounter having learned something, and I’m sure that many a watch enthusiast would share this sentiment.
Having read this book, I found it to be more geared towards almost an awareness of a wide variety of rare and special watches, the anecdotes and stories behind them, all spread across a few different categories and without delving too deep into the details. Something I think this is a tremendous strength of this book.
“Rare Watches – Explore the World’s Most Exquisite Timepieces” by Paul Miquel
“Rare Watches” is a book which makes an impression from the outset. It is a little smaller than A3 size, and comes beautifully presented in a slipcase, with an eye-catching front cover with half the dial of four watches, one on each edge, with the remainder of the dials wrapping round to the back cover of the book.
So far as coffee table books go, this is certainly a great option, and is probably why this book is often seen on display in various watch boutiques around the world. In this context, I think the “Rare Watches” title also conveys something a little deeper about watch enthusiasm, which is perhaps a little more enticing to the non-enthusiast than various other popular titles.
The book starts with forewords by auctioneer extraordinaire Aurel Bacs (particularly apt given he was responsible for auctioning many of the watches mentioned in the book!) and industry stalwart Jean-Claude Biver.
After these, the book conceptually is broken into three sections, into which well over 50 watches are grouped.
These are ‘Stars at Auction’ (which includes a subsection entitled ‘The Stars of OnlyWatch’ – the biennial charity auction of unique watches), ‘Watchmaking at the Highest Level’, and ‘Watches for Heroes’.
Within these, each watch is presented with stunning photography, including some with superb close-up photography, as well as the story behind each watch (including the auction results), and exactly what it is that makes the watch so rare and special as to warrant such commanding sums of money.
Invariably, the ‘Stars at Auction’ section includes many rare watches from the likes of Rolex and Patek Philippe which have vastly exceeded auction estimates. Of course, this begins with none other than the legendary ‘Paul Newman’ Rolex Daytona, which when it was auctioned in October 2017 became the world’s most expensive wristwatch at US $17.75 million.
I found the portfolio of Onlywatch watches particularly interesting, covering examples from OnlyWatch in 2011, 2013 and 2015. For me, this comfortably before I even learned that OnlyWatch existed, so it was really fun to see some of the highlights from earlier auctions, including pieces from the likes of MB&F (and interestingly another panda themed watch!), F.P. Journe, and Christophe Claret.
The ‘Watchmaking at the Highest Level’ is the longest section and is a fascinating exploration of watches that stand out not for their auction price tag, but more for what they are. There are some truly special watches described in this section. Some stand-out examples for me include: a Chanel watch where the crown comes up from the dial (along with a wonderfully novel solution to the issue of the minutes hand getting blocked by the crown!); a Montblanc with a dial which changes on the press of a button; a Cartier watch that introduces a vacuum sealed module; and a Roger Dubuis with four balances – something that I have been fortunate enough to wear on my wrist.
I don’t want to spoil the surprise with these watches, but hopefully this gives you some idea of the types of unique and rare examples that appear in this book, many of which I had no idea existed prior to reading it!
Towards the back of the book is a section dedicate to heroes, mostly real people such as JFK, Elvis, and Gandhi. However, there is an exception to every rule, and there is special mention given to James Bond’s Rolex Submariner 5513 from Live and Let Die, complete with rotating saw and magnetic field, which has been auctioned a couple of times in the past 10 years or so.
Whilst it doesn’t take more than a couple of hours to read from cover to cover, it is a thoroughly enjoyable book. It is put together in such a way that makes it especially conducive as a coffee table book, and it is very easy to pick up and put down without much commitment.
As I mentioned at the start of this review, I genuinely struggle to think of any time spent exploring the watch world where I haven’t come away having learned something, and this book is no different. The anecdotes behind the watches I am sure will have me returning to the book time and time again.
Finally, it does appear that there is a follow-up from Paul Miquel, entitled “Montres Rares, 2e Nouvelle Edition”, published in December 2021. As you might have guessed from the title, it is written in French – hopefully at some point it will be available in English as well.
And when it is, I will certainly be adding it to my collection of watch books.
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You might also be interested in:
- OnlyWatch 2019 / OnlyWatch 2021
- In Conversation with Jean-Claude Biver
- Recommended Reading: ‘The Watch Thoroughly Revised’ by Gene Stone & Stephen Pulvirent
- Watch Stationery and Gift Ideas
- Watch Books, Watch Boxes and more at the Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon (commissions earned)
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