ART

An extraordinary volume of the most important luxury watches. From the watch that flew to the moon (Omega Speedmaster), to the smallest calibre with the dimensions of 14 x 4.8 x 3.4 millimetres (Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101), that Elizabeth II wore as a bracelet watch on her coronation day, and the watch model that has been in continuous production for over 100 years (Cartier Tank). Watch expert Gisbert L.

For all chrono fans, collectors and watch enthusiasts, there is now the brilliant and completely revised new edition The Watch Book. The comprehensive coffee-table book replaces the earlier The Watch Book Compendium and combines The Watch Book I and II.

As usual, the successful author Gisbert L. Brunner shines with his extensive expertise and brings his readers closer to the history of the wristwatch with more than 1,000 high-resolution photographs. With over 40 pieces, hardly any other illustrated book gathers more premium watch brands under one roof.

In this new volume of the Watch Book series, successful author Gisbert L. Brunner focuses on Swiss watch history and the watch industry, and in particular on the house of Oris, because what could be a more fitting connection than that of the leading expert when it comes to mechanical timepieces with the watch manufactory that is one of the few to produce exclusively mechanical watches. Founded in 1904, the company stands out in many ways in the luxury world of horology, it is run independently and not by a large corporation, it is valued as a down-to-earth brand and - in an industry that is not necessarily known for this - it focuses on sustainability, true to the motto: "Things have to make sense".

From stopwatches and alarms, to world clocks and calendar functions, to tourbillons that counter the effects of gravity, these so-called complications have been the crowning glory of fine watchmaking for centuries. The Watch Book - More than Time is an illustrated compendium of watchmaking that explores these most intricate elements of the horologist's craft through timing, astronomy, and striking.

For centuries, so-called "complications" - any feature of a mechanical timepiece beyond the display of hours, minutes and seconds - have embodied the crowning glory of fine mechanical watchmaking. Among the earliest of these are alarm clocks and calendar movements. Moon phase displays have also been known for several centuries. Striking movements can be considered among the most complex and technically elaborate additional functions, while finishing techniques such as skeletonising, which is mainly done by hand, also characterise the high art of watchmaking.