The Magic of Watches

Louis Nardin’s newly published book – The Magic of Watches, A Smart Introduction to Fine Watchmaking – does exactly what it says on the tin: a step-by-step guide to discovering the fabulous world of watches, just as the author discovered it himself. “To be perfectly honest, I didn’t get interested in watches until I graduated in journalism and started looking for work. Maybe it was fate that got me my first job writing about watches. No regrets, that’s for sure!” And so the seed was planted that would grow into a passion which, a dozen or so years later, convinced Louis to spread the word in the form of an easy-to-use guide book.

“The idea for the book came to me while on a ten-month, round-the-world trip,” he explains. “I’d meet other travellers from around the globe and as we chatted, sooner or later the question of what we did for a living would come up. I can still see the astonishment on their faces when I told them I was a journalist writing about watches. This made me realise how unfamiliar so many people are with watchmaking, and gave me the idea to write a book that would introduce them to the subject and what makes it so special.” Three years down the line, what began as an idea has given rise to a sort of Lonely Planet of time measurement: “everything the beginner needs to take their first steps in this fascinating world.”

Tool Box

A longstanding contributor to HH Journal, Louis Nardin takes readers by the hand and guides them through the choosing and buying process. He also teaches us that a watch is something to be cared for with regular maintenance, and that watches don’t just appear out of nowhere: they are the culmination of traditions and techniques that warrant our admiration. The Magic of Watches isn’t designed to be read from cover to cover like a novel – although it does tell a great story! Published in French and English versions, it’s written as soundbites which, put together, compose a mosaic of information with which to discover and, more importantly, understand the products of fine watchmaking. In the author’s words, “the book provides anyone interested in learning more about watches with the tools to progress in this fascinating world, and even choose the watch that’s right for them!”

The Magic of Watches, A Smart Introduction to Fine Watchmaking / La Magie Des Montres, Découvrir simplement l’horlogerie, Louis Nardin, self-published, 222 pages, 2016, CHF 39.90 / USD 39.99

Available from www.watchprint.com