I devoured this book on a long international flight. Overall, I liked it, with some major reservations. I am a watch aficionado, and there were too many little omissions or inaccuracies in this book.
The book combines several narratives:
- About A.L. Breguet, perhaps the most iconic individual watch maker of all time, and his life and career. I enjoyed this a lot. I did not know that Breguet created the first wristwatch in 1810, for example. I wish there was more detail about his work on escapements and springs.
- About Marie Antoinette, her lover, and Revolutionary France. Fascinating mention: she and the king bought and owned hundreds of timepieces in their lifetimes!
- About the theft and eventual recovery of the largest Beguet collection which happens to be in Israel. This I found to be by far the most dry and least interesting part of the story, wishing it weren't a major part of the book.
- Documentary style exposes about horology or the watch industry. This part was most frustrating in its lack of detail and accuracy.
I think that as a novel for general audiences, the book falls short of the fluidity and historical suspense one could find in the DaVinci Code.
For watch and clock aficionados, this is a rare treat and glimpse into history. I admit I wasn't aware that Paris and France were the center of watchmaking in the late 1700s. Or that watches were so important back then. So it was a fascinating read and I learned a lot.
However, as I was filling the blanks in my own knowledge of horology, I realized one needed some prior knowledge to appreciate the book (which I had) and I also found inaccuracies which were annoying.
Some problematic examples:
"Rolex ... is now joined by relative upstarts like Panerai, Omega, and Breitling" -- hmm, Omega and Breitling are older than Rolex, and especially Omega has been bigger than Rolex in many respects throughout most of its history until the quartz crisis.
"Seiko with its Seiko Grand watches and Citizen ... with their higher end wrist computers with features including barometers, altimeters" -- the brand name is Grand Seiko, and Citizen is not known for their altimeter watches.
"Omega, Breitling, and Movado all use ETA movements in even their most expensive watches" -- not entirely true for Omega in the past 10+ years with coaxial. In general the history and role of the Swatch Group and Swatch quartz watches are brushed over with a very, very broad brush.
"When Rolex began using silicon ... collectors sold or shelved their old models and picked up new ones - the equivalent of a Lexus owner selling or or garaging his hat because the company added a different trunk release button" - where do we even begin on this one? First of all, many people prize their old Rolexes and view silicon with suspicion, and secondly silicon is a major upgrade to the "engine" making the mechanical watch more accurate and less susceptible to magnetic fields, so it's worth an upgrade.
Lastly, George Daniels is not given much credit as a watchmaker and is instead referred to mostly as a Breguet historian.
Recommended only for watch lovers who can read with a critical eye. Overall, I expect you will enjoy it.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2016
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2015
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The story is spiced with a touching romance revealed through the life of Marie Antoinette who was married off young to the Frenc
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2015Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2018
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Top reviews from other countries
tallmanbaby
one great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2015Verified Purchase
Chris Bartlett
A Must Read!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2017Verified Purchase
Danlon
This story has everything
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2017Verified Purchase
KazR
Fantastic trip through time, watches and their making
Reviewed in Australia on February 10, 2018Verified Purchase
