Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History

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Hands of Time is a journey through watchmaking history, from the earliest attempts at time-keeping, to the breakthrough in engineering that gave us the first watch, to today – where the timepieces hold cultural and historical significance beyond what its first creators could have imagined. Struthers approaches this history with a eye for interesting stories which sum up large portions of the human relationship with time.

In sum, 'Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History' is a triumph, a literary treasure that will ignite your fascination with watches and their intricate stories.Its captivating content left me yearning for more, and I'm seriously contemplating listening to it again. The book was also very narrowly focused on the development of the English watchmaking world at the expense of other prominent areas (Switzerland first and foremost).

Hands of Time is an intricate and uniquely personal exploration of the history, science, philosophy, and craft of timekeeping. It reads like an autobiography, intertwining the history of time and watchmaking, and providing detailed insights into the creation of each component. at the heart of the narrative is a historical account of how timekeeping has shaped the development of pretty much every aspect of social and economic life: trade, politics, leisure, exploration and mortality. Obviously, I’m not a watchmaker or a horologist or in any way a professional when it comes to watches.

If you're a history buff, you'll enjoy reading about the role time pieces played in major global events. The book talks more about Ms Struthers experiences, and not so much about the advances made in watch making over the centuries. One facet that I liked was how I share a first name with Alex Henshaw who was the first to fly from London to Cape Town wearing a Rolex watch. A really fascinating look at history focusing on time in general and the advancements in watchmaking and how this changed the way we work over the years since the first town clocks.

Her passion for what she is doing alongside her husband is exceedingly cool and I would have loved a bit more on her own journey to being a master watchmaker. She takes us on a journey through time, beginning by examining the very first examples of watches in the early 1500s. Hands of Time” is Rebecca Struthers memoir of her experience as a watchmaker – or perhaps more accurately, as a horologist. This is a testament to a great read; it has sparked numerous questions and topics I’m eager to delve into. My favorites are a set of Simpson watches from Burger King, and Jurassic Park watches from Taco Bell.

Each chapter of her exquisitely crafted history explores a pivotal moment in watchmaking from the past 500 years. We've minimized the paperwork and maximized protection, so you can stop worrying about your watches and focus on enjoying them. Just as one example: a whole chapter serves no purpose in furthering the story of time keeping, and only exists so that at the end she can trumpet the virtues of socialized healthcare; a chapter in which she recounts how her (socialized) doctors misdiagnosed and gaslit her for years telling her repeatedly that her symptoms were imaginary until she badgered them into doing more tests that revealed she had MS. Likewise, marine chronometers were expensive, more likely to be used by profitable commercial trading companies like East India Trading Company that relied on slave labor and trafficking of slaves from Africa.

This was such an interesting survey through time and about time of human's interaction with timekeeping and watches. We use Google Analytics to see what pages are most visited, and where in the world visitors are visiting from. Rebecca Struthers weaves together a beautiful narrative exploring the major milestones and innovations which have led to the watches of today. Reading it, I was left in awe of human innovation and with a heightened appreciation for time’s role in our lives. I quickly realized I needed a proper tool watch, tough, scratch resistant, water resistant, with a GMT complication.Whether you are interested in why people appreciate luxurious watches, absolutely accurate timing, or concepts of timing, you will find this volume fascinating. I have a collection of nine books on watches and horology and this one stands out as one of the best. Rather than just relaying the history, she makes this book personal through her own depth of knowledge. Bewitching and spanning cultures and continents, watchmaker Struthers’ captivating book reveals the crucial role time-pieces have played in our attitudes to mortality, work, leisure, politics and more throughout centuries.