Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History

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Timepieces have long accompanied us on our travels, from the depths of the oceans to the summit of Everest, the ice of the arctic to the sands of the deserts, outer space to the surface of the moon. The watch has sculpted the social and economic development of modern society; it is an object that, when disassembled, can give us new insights both into the motivations of inventors and craftsmen of the past, and, into the lives of the people who treasured them. A personal history of timekeeping, unfortunately more focused on her own history than on the timekeeping mechanisms. Shapiro writes from a variety of points of view, most often that of Valerie Crane, but also from the viewpoint of Valerie's sister, Louisa, and each of the Whitfield brothers. While I appreciate that we, as readers, are allowed to see the events of the story from this multiplicity of perspectives, I found it distracting and a bit artificial that Valerie's sections are written in the first person, whereas the others are all written in third person. To be honest (and I hate to resort to saying this sort of thing), The Hands of Time would benefit from a really good editor or at least a thorough proofreading. Hands of Time, published this week and BBC Radio 4’s ‘Book of the Week’ starting May 8, is utterly fantastic in both the scope it covers and the economy it uses to bring new life to familiar tales.

Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator. An acclaimed expert provides a striking account of watches, their history, and their social impact. As impeccably crafted and precisely engineered as any of the watches on which the author has worked so lovingly over the years, this book is a joy to behold and a wonder to enjoy.” –Simon Winchester, author of The Perfectionists and Land If not for this, I strongly belive I would have enjoyed this book more. Valerie seems likes a nice character, but I don't truly "know" her. She's just a bland participant in the story. And I hate feeling that way about a main character.Watches not only measure time, they are a manifestation of time—signifiers of the most precious thing we have,” writes Struthers. The first watchmaker in British history to earn a doctorate in antiquarian horology, the study of time and timepieces, the author has devoted her life to them. Her debut book is a fascinating, charming examination, and Struthers ably melds the larger story with her own. She initially trained as a jeweler and silversmith, and before that, she was intrigued by forensics. All these came together when she encountered watchmaking, and she fell in love with the complexity and precision of the discipline. She takes a tour through the evolution of watches, noting that the first were produced in the early 16th century. Some watches constructed hundreds of years ago still work perfectly, with little maintenance; few machines can make comparable claims. The book has plenty of stories and colorful characters, making for a remarkable narrative. For a while, it looked as if mechanical watches would become extinct under pressure from digital technology, but the past decade has seen a new generation emerge as high-prestige items, and most of them are superb objects. Struthers provides a glossary as well as an appendix on how to repair a watch, and her expertise and passion for her subject shine through. She has always been aware of the passage of time, but it became an acute concern when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The prognosis is good, but it gave her a fresh perspective on her work. “We all measure our lives in moments of time, and the memories that accompany them,” she writes. “Watches, which tell the time for us as they did for those before us, provide a constant in those memories.” Valarie has sex with Finn like, immediately after she gets there. Valarie gets pregnant and they do end up marrying. An intric ate and personal history of watches and time from an extraordinary watchmaker and historian You’re talking about highly bespoke watchmaking. But there is a handful of respected British brands flying the flag today. Bremont, Bamford, Fears… Is our global reputation improving? Full of tales of royal intrigue and social history, it charts the story of watchmaking through the centuries and reflects onhow time affects us all."

There are a few books that have the power to make you feel truly happy. And this book is definitely one of them. From the moment I started listening to it on Audible, it brought me immense joy. It entertained and enlightened me with fascinating insights into the history of watchmaking, including significant figures like Louise Breguet, John Harrison and Thomas Mudge.

Customer reviews

An award-winning watchmaker--one of the few practicing the art in the world today--chronicles the invention of time through the centuries-long story of one of mankind's most profound technological achievements: the watch.