Watchmaking

George Daniels wanted to write a book about hand made high quality watches and how to build them. This book covers every aspect of that process. If you could only have one book on the subject, this would be it. The mechanical drawings, some in color, plus the photographic plates of assembled and disassembled watches are excellent. Another aspect of this book deals with the watchmaker's workshop and what tools, machines and skills are needed to accomplish this difficult, to say the least, task. Clearly Daniels was a master of this craft and he also had a world view of the watchmaking industry. You learn that the expensive high quality mechanical watches from Switzerland are still made in batches (series) where the parts are mass produced. Daniels' approach reverts to the one of a kind, hand made watch where every part is produced by hand. There is no mass production. Concerning the various subsystems that make up a watch, Daniels goes through all of them, explaining how they work and their advantages and disadvantages. On the topic of movements (escapements) he starts with the primitive verge escapement and takes it from there through the standard lever designs to his modern invention known as the coaxial escapement. He provides much detail in how these movements actually work. Daniels clearly had a great knowledge of the past great watchmakers such a Breguet and Arnold to name a few. And it is also clear that Daniels was guided but not a copier of these classic mechanical watch designs. He completely understood their mechanisms and used that knowledge to innovate and make significant design improvements and breakthroughs such as his coaxial escapement. Daniels understands the interplay between the watch consumer and the watchmaker/watchmaking industry. The fact that we still have a thriving industry in mechanical watches in a world were an electronic quartz watch can be more accurate and cost much less, shows that there is still a viable market for those who value a high quality, high priced, mechanical timepieces. Daniels' timepieces required thousands of hours to complete and because of their quality and function, he was able to keep this art form alive appealing to connoisseurs who are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to own one of these unique timepieces. I think that Daniels wrote this book because he wanted to leave a legacy to future generations about his work and unique accomplishments that might otherwise be forgotten as the world continues to move from a real representation of things to a digitally contrived artificial representation. Hopefully, the fascination and appreciation of fine mechanical timepieces will continue and this book will continue to be a source for building or at least deciphering them.

Truly one of the great texts on watchmaking. As an amateur, I don't deign myself proficient enough to truly take advantage of the majority of the knowledge here. However, Daniels was nothing if not a great teacher, if this book is any indication. Being smart or extremely proficient in a subject does not at all have any bearing on your ability to pass that knowledge to another. Often, I'd argue, those that operate on the highest levels become incapable of explaining things to those on their way up. Any of you who have taken more advanced specialized physics/math/science classes will know exactly what I mean - that professor who was a genius but clearly was not capable of phrasing things in a way you were able to comprehend. Daniels clearly has no such problems and almost seems to remove the veil of complexity that surrounds many of the advanced watchmaking topics. His ability to teach is immediately apparent from the get-go. Daniels makes things beyond simple, despite their apparent complexity. While I am far from putting, as I said, the majority of the book into practice, I understand conceptually how every single thing in this book works on a mechanical level after about 3 complete reads. I have put a lot of what I've learned into use in my own watchmaking, and it shows. Daniels truly is one of the most important figures ever to touch the art of horology. Even just as a casual coffee table book, this one is a gem. The diagrams and explanations are beyond compare. If you are an engineer or mechanically inclined person of any field, you will delight in reading this. One of the best books I have ever had the privilege of reading.

I love everything about this book, now once I understand it all I will be happy. This is a book you purchase to use over your lifetime. There seems to be several lifetimes of information in this book but one man did it all in one lifetime and that just blows me away. He builds on the past like everyone else but Daniels has some fantastic watches and fantastic ideas for watchmaking. This isn't about taking a watch apart and putting it back together, its about building everything from scratch everything even the screws and springs. Its fantastic I just hope to be able to do a few of the techniques described in this book.

A superb book, very high quality paper and printing, an all around excellent buy for anyone who wants in-depth information about watch making.

As someone who is looking at watchmaking as a possible career choice and a definite serious hobby, I checked out about half a dozen (all) of the most relevant books on the subject from my local large university library. Although there were some gems, I have never found a book that covers ALL aspects of watchmaking, from choice of materials and tools to use of a lathe and mill for cutting gears, design, casemaking, you name it. I immediately returned all of the other books I had checked out, in favor of this hefty tome. George Daniels is widely considered the greatest watchmaker of our time, and his language is far more modern than other books and guides that might try to fill this niche. The only downside is that this is NOT a book for someone who is just beginning their foray into the watchmaking world. Ideally, one would already understand the basic principles of the workings of clocks and watches, and have a brief familiarity with their parts and common terminology within the discipline. A great buy for anyone entering the craft pretty seriously, or someone who already is deep in it, but somehow hasn't already gotten this gem; it is not a great coffee table book for the uninitiated, as the pictures are useful, but they are intended to convey information rather than to look gorgeous, and the text is VERY DENSE, like a textbook.

Thought I bought a new book but it came highlighted.

As an aspiring horologist, Watchmaking by George Daniels has been an invaluable resource in my journey. Daniels' meticulous attention to detail and deep understanding of the craft shine through every page. He breaks down the complexities of watchmaking in a way that feels both accessible and inspiring, even for someone like me who's still learning. What I truly appreciate is how thorough and methodical he is, from the intricate diagrams to the step-by-step guides on creating every single component by hand. It’s not just a book about how to build a watch; it’s about mastering the art and patience required to craft something extraordinary. His passion for traditional techniques is palpable and has motivated me to approach my own work with a greater level of care and precision. While it’s definitely not a light read and can be quite technical at times, for anyone serious about horology, this book is a treasure. It’s not just a guide, it’s a blueprint for achieving excellence in the field. An absolute must-read if you dream of becoming a master watchmaker! And as a plus, it looks great on my coffee table

Horology hakkında harika bir kaynak eser tavsiye ederim

Livré en parfait état

洋書ですがとても状態良く手元に届きました。欲しい本は地球の裏側からでも手に入る良い時代になりました。 辞書をひきながらゆっくり読みたいと思います。