As much as we enjoy collecting and trading luxury timepieces – we love learning about them even more.
Here you’ll find Lido Watch Club’s top picks of the best luxury watch books every collector should read.
We hope you enjoy exploring our list.
A Man & His Watch
Matthew Hranek
Paul Newman wore his Daytona Rolex every single day for 35 years until his death in 2008. The iconic timepiece, probably the single most sought-after watch in the world, is now in the possession of his daughter Clea, who wears it every day in his memory. JFK’s Omega worn to his presidential inauguration, Ralph Lauren’s watch purchased from Andy Warhol’s personal collection, Sir Edmund Hillary’s Rolex worn during the first-ever summit of Mt. Everest…these and many more compose the stories of the world’s most coveted watches captured in A Man and His Watch. Matthew Hranek, a watch collector and NYC men’s style fixture, has traveled the world conducting firsthand interviews and diving into exclusive collections to gather the never-before- told stories of 76 watches, complete with stunning original photography of every single piece.
The Watch Book
Gisbert L. Brunner
Few objects combine function, elegance, and status as well as a wristwatch. One’s choice of chronograph reveals a great deal because it shows the value we place on the most precious resource of all-time. A blend of precise mechanics, craftsmanship, fine materials, and innovation distinguishes the truly superlative examples. In The Watch Book, readers can feast their eyes and minds on a magnificently-illustrated and well-documented chronicle of the world’s best timepieces.
The Wristwatch Handbook
Ryan Schmidt
With over 470 high quality images from more than 90 brands, The Wristwatch Handbook is your map and compass to the world of the mechanical wristwatch; the reference book of choice for the seasoned collector and the new enthusiast alike. The book provides a top-to-bottom breakdown of the inner workings of the watch and an explanation of every conceivable function from the aneroid barometer to the perpetual calendar. Each subject is introduced in an accessible manner and beautifully illustrated by diagrams and images of movements, mechanisms and a staggering array of watches across the spectrum of styles, periods, and price points. Designed to be read both visually and cover-to-cover, The Wristwatch Handbook will start on your coffee table and end up at your bedside.
Chasing Time: Vintage Wristwatches for the Discerning Collector
Alistair Gibbons
The early 2000s were an important period, spanning a time when mechanical watches had quite rightly retaken their place in the world market. We all may have a digital device in our pocket that is more accurate than a mechanical watch, but a timepiece has soul, personality, and history. The collection in this book is a step into the world of vintage watch collecting, with a range of photographs, intricate research, and accessible reference material that will intrigue both the casual and avid enthusiast. The collection showcases some of the most interesting, luxurious, and functional 20th-century (1930–1980) mechanical timepieces ever to be produced, including Heuer’s Autavia, Rolex’s Submariner, Gallet’s MultiChron, Zenith’s De Luca, and the Universal Space Compax.
The Watch, Thoroughly Revised
Gene Stone, Stephen Pulvirent
The Watch is the most popular book on vintage and contemporary mechanical watches, appealing to both beginners and experts. In the decade since it was published, the international audience of watch lovers and watch collectors has grown exponentially. It’s time for The Watch, Thoroughly Revised. For this new edition, the original author, Gene Stone, is joined by Stephen Pulvirent of Hodinkee.com. Together, they have thoroughly revamped the book to reflect the current state of the watch world, with the addition of new brands, new models, and more focused and nuanced coverage of the traditional brand leaders, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, and TAG Heuer.
Wristwatches: The Models That Made An Age
Paolo De Vecchi, Alberto Uglietti
From the first models made in the 1900s to the luxury brands created by Cartier and Patek Philippe, the wristwatch has become an object of passion among collectors. Through 55 of the most celebrated manufacturers, and more than 800 photos, this spectacular volume looks at the evolution of the watch—its advances in design and technology, use in everyday life, and social impact. The featured styles include the Calatrava for Patek Philippe, Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet, Santos and Tank for Cartier, Submarines for Rolex, and the colorful Swatch, where plastic and the most innovative materials combine with precious gold and diamonds.
Watchmakers: The Masters of Art Horology
Maxima Gallery
Watchmakers: The Masters of Art Horology gathers the work of the most celebrated independent watchmakers in the world. Thirteen artisans, each a legend in the realm of haute horlogerie, tell their stories, describing the traditional working methods and prized watches upon which their reputations have been built.
Photographs of the masters in their workshops bring their stories to life, along with detailed sketches and images of their watches in all their brilliant intricacy. Watchmakers also features insightful text from other leading figures of the independent watchmaking world, including Aurel Bacs of the Fondation Haute Horlogerie and Nicholas Foulkes, writer for Vanity Fair, The Telegraph and GQ, and author of the only authorized biography of Patek Philippe.
Watches: A Guide by Hodinkee
Benjamin Clymer
Over a short ten-year time-span, Hodinkee has positioned itself as the preeminent and most distinguished destination for modern and vintage wristwatch enthusiasts. Exiting a career in finance, Ben Clymer decided to fuse his horological and writing passions in order to start a blog discussing everything from new products to vintage wristwatch auctions. Titling his endeavor after the Czech word hodinky, which means ‘little watch,’ Clymer sought to create a platform that was casual and accessible to all levels of enthusiasts―within a few years The New York Times dubbed him the “High Priest of Horology.”
Watchmaking
George Daniels
The first and most comprehensive step-by-step guide on the subject, Watchmaking has become a classic in its own right. This new edition is updated to include a new section which discusses and illustrates a variety of the author’s own watches. The author’s principal aim in writing this book has been to inspire and encourage the art of watchmaking, especially among a new generation of enthusiasts. The making of the precision timekeeper is described, step by step, and is illustrated at each stage with line drawings and brief explanatory captions. Great care has been taken to ensure the text is easy to follow and to avoid complicated technical descriptions.
The Watch Book Rolex
Gisbert Brunner
No doubt about it, Rolex is a chronometric legend. The company was founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, a Bavarian marketing genius who focused on innovation. Watch enthusiasts have Wilsdorf to thank for many outstanding models and technical advances, including the first officially-certified wristwatches, the waterproof Oyster housing, the Datejust, and sports watches like the Submariner diver’s watch, which dates back more than fifty years. Although this book gives the company’s incredible tradition its due, it also devotes ample space to the present. Crafted in-house to exacting specifications, Rolex’s breadth of timepieces combine the utmost in sophisticated luxury with advanced precision. All this and much more is yours to enjoy in the third volume of the successful The Watch Book series.
The Rolex Story
Franz-Christoph Heel
The brand with the crown is recognised world-wide as an invaluable sports implement and luxury product. This book traces the manufacturer’s development from the 1920s, when it began its steady rise to unprecedented international appeal, to the present. Explore the ingenious innovations in technology and marketing behind the prestigious company’s swift success. Browse the images and devour the historical and technical details of some of Rolex’s most reliable models: the Submariner, on which divers depend to get them safely back to the surface; the Cosmograph and Yachtmaster that auto-racers and boat captains trust for their precision and durability. Get the latest reports and performance tests results on Rolex items: rugged or elegant; classic or contemporary. From the beginning, the sponsorship of statesmen, movie stars, and athletes has driven its success, but Rolex has since expanded to include more than just the rich and famous.
Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking
Emmanuel Breguet
This dazzling exploration of the work of renowned horologist Breguet is also a fascinating look at what makes watches and other time pieces tick.
Abraham-Louis Breguet invented many of the standard components of today s most prestigious watches, earning the title The Father of Modern Horology. The self-winding watch, the gong spring, the first shock-protection device and the enameled dial all were created by Breguet. In addition, he invented the first travel clock, sold to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 and the first wristwatch, delivered to Caroline Murat, queen of Naples in 1812. Perhaps Breguet s most famous timepiece is the Marie-Antoinette pocket watch, which took forty years to make and was the most complex watch of its time […]
Moonwatch Only: The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide
Grégoire Rossier, Anthony Marquié
“The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional – the Moonwatch – has done things that no other timepiece has done and it has been worn in places that only a few human beings have been.” – Captain Eugene Cernan, last man on the moon “It is an indescribable reference work and a true must-have for every Speedmaster collector.” – Forbes
There are very few timepieces in the world that deserve a definitive and comprehensive book. The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is one of them. Initially designed for automobile racing teams and engineers, the Omega Speedmaster embarked on a very different trajectory when NASA chose it to accompany astronauts heading for the Moon in 1965. Its involvement in the space adventure has propelled the Moonwatch to the top of the list of celebrated timepieces […]
Breitling Highlights
Henning Mutzlitz
Breitling is especially known for their characteristically masculine wristwatches. It goes without saying that quality, reliability and high precision are the main reasons for the great popularity of this individual brand. The author comprises a clear company history and provides a widespread view on the brand’s performance in the past and in the present time. One hundred of the most remarkable models are presented: historical models, the legendary “Navitimer”, the masculine “Avenger”, chronographs for nearly every purpose, the “Superocean” for the depth of the sea, the clear structured “Cockpit” and the special edition “Breitling for Bentley”. All these high quality wristwatches established the fame of the Swiss watch manufacturer.
A Lange & Sohne – Great Timepieces from Saxony (Volumes 1 & 2)
Reinhard Meis, Christian Pfeiffer-Belli (ed)
‘Future needs heritage’ – these were the words with which German philosopher Odo Marquard summarised his insight that the new world cannot exist without the legacy of the old one. The same words aptly describe the quintessence of Reinhard Meis’ work devoted to A. Lange & Sohne, probably Germany’s most famous watch brand. With his profoundly detailed knowledge, the author builds a bridge from the grand heritage of the brand in the 19th century to its current eminence at the pinnacle of international precision watchmaking. Reinhard Meis invested eight years to thoroughly revise his standard work dedicated to the horological legend from Dresden […]
Audemars Piguet: Master Watchmaker Since 1875
Francois Chaille
The pursuit of excellence is reflected in Audemars Piguet’s prestigious models, painstakingly crafted by artisans for over 130 years. Founded in 1875 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, the manufacturing headquarters of Audemars Piguet are nestled in the Joux Valley in Switzerland. For more than a century, this prestigious company has held a unique position in the world of high quality watch making: its expertise, creativity, and state-of-the-art technology lie behind Audemars Piguet’s luxurious and innovative watches. At the turn of the twentieth century, the factory employed more than seventy craftsmen, whose mastery and excellent grasp of the changing times enabled the development of traditional pieces, and the production of revolutionary watches, both of the highest quality […]
Rare Watches: Explore The World’s Most Exquisite Timepieces
Paul Miquel
Rare Watches features more than fifty of the most unusual watches in the world, including incredible one-off models and collector’s editions. From watches that have set new records in auction houses, to feats of modern technology and engineering, via iconic models worn by figures such as Elvis and James Bond, this book appeals to professionals, collectors and amateurs alike.
The photography in this book was organized in collaboration with Christie’s auction house, displaying some of the rarest, most expensive and desirable watches ever.
Patek Philippe Highlights
Herbert James
A young rebel named Antoni Norbert Patek de Prawdzic fled war-torn Poland in 1832 and embarked upon a career path that led him to watchmaker Jean-Adrien Philippe, inventor of the revolutionary built-in crown winding mechanism. In the 160 years since the pair founded Patek Philippe, the line has remained, without a doubt, one of the most traditional and noble watch manufacturers in the world. This illustrated book couples the most exclusive and beautiful timepieces the Genevan brand has ever manufactured with informative history and alluring photographs. Featured inside are several of the most popular examples from three of the company’s outstanding watch families: the uncomplicated but cherished Calatrava collection, the groundbreaking sports line Nautilus, and the cross-generational Gondolo family. Each watch is accompanied by a complete list of technical specifications. This book is an essential acquisition for both casual fans and long-time connoisseurs of the brand.
Vacheron Constantin: Artists of Time
Franco Cologni, Bruno Ehrs
Geneva-based Vacheron Constantin has maintained its reputation for producing exceptional timepieces, from its first watch circa 1760 to its extraordinary mechanical watches of today. Highly collectible, these prestigious timepieces are conceived as much to seduce by their elegance as to provide precision timekeeping. With specially commissioned photographs, the book traces the rich history of the manufacture and includes an informative catalog of timepieces and a guide to the watchmaker’s art. An unwavering commitment to excellence is the firm’s hallmark; the heritage of 260 years of unique artistic and technical expertise.
Treasures of Vacheron Constantin: A Legacy of Watchmaking since 1755
Julien Marchenoir
This sumptuous book brings to life the rich past and the landmark creations of one of the world’s great watchmakers. Founded in the Swiss city of Geneva in 1755 by the gifted craftsman and businessman Jean-Marc Vacheron, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. Its phenomenal rise to an international reputation of the highest standing in turn throws light on the global success of the great Swiss watchmaking tradition. The book traces the principal milestones in the company’s history: its founding during the Age of Enlightenment; the successive generations of the Vacheron family; the association in 1819 with Francois Constantin, who opened up the North American market to the company; the transformational relationship with the inventor Georges-Auguste Leschot; and the company’s subsequent international recognition and expansion […]
Panerai
Angelo Bonati
The recent history of Officine Panerai is exceptional: from small craft workshop to manufacturer of fine sports watches, it has become now a leading player on the world’s markets, given the remarkable speed with which the brand has won the hearts of watch enthusiasts worldwide. A success that stems from the capacity to keep the authenticity of Panerai watches at the centre of everything, maintaining unaltered their unique and unmistakable design and equipping them with the most sophisticated technical features.
