Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History

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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. I gave up after book 4. It could have been great (better than this one) but I'm tired of the same old story and homosexual rape. K I have to spoil because no one else has. This book is hella tell and not show and that was so frustrating, plus poor story telling. Okay down for spoilers.

This is not much different than Outlander. Not as good though. But similar story with less accuracy in history. I love history. I think to get that right isn't all that hard either. So many errors that most might not notice, but I sure did. Drove me nuts. 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. Hands of Time is a journey through watchmaking history, from the earliest attempts at time-keeping, to the breakthrough in engineering that gave us the first watch, to today – where the timepieces hold cultural and historical significance beyond what its first creators could have imagined. Acclaimed watchmaker Rebecca Struthers uses the most important watches throughout history to explore their attendant paradigm shifts in how we think about time, indeed how we think about our own humanity. From an up-close look at the birth of the fakes and forgeries industry which marked the watch as a valuable commodity, to the watches that helped us navigate trade expeditions, she reveals how these instruments have shaped how we build and then consequently make our way through the world. 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 you're someone who appreciates learning about the art of craftsmanship and the wonders of engineering, especially through shows on the History Channel, then this book is a must-read for you.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." Hands of Time is an anthropology of human history through the lens of timekeeping/watches/horology. Anthropology is a subject I've only scraped the surface of in my studies so I was excited to give this book a go. Ripping the band-aid right off the bat: this is a decently dry book. I'm not talking about textbook style, but if you aren't at all interested in horology, this will be absolutely horrific to read. I really love objet d’art type watches. If I had the ability to make whatever I wanted, and didn’t have to worry about selling it, I’d go for something incredibly beautiful and decorative and ornate. And I’d include as many of [the] amazing crafts people [we work with] in as many different disciplines as possible. I have some ideas, actually. And that’s part of our 10-year plan. After 10 years of 248s we plan on not taking any more commissions and just making what we want to make. And then selling it when it’s done. If I look out from my office window, I see three huge buildings with 'Rolex' in discreet lettering on top, so it was interesting to read about how the Swiss watch industry grew as a mass market response to the high costs imposed by the strict guilds of London. Early Swiss watches were low-cost fakes - or at least lower-cost imitations of the English handmade luxury items. Rolex was the brainchild of a German advertising expert, who bought cheap Swiss movements, assembled them in London and marketed the resulting wrist watches as the perfect tool for the macho adventurer, in an era when wrist watches were generally seen as effeminate.

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 Timepieces are one of humanity’s most ingenious innovations. Their invention was more significant for human culture than the printing press, or even the wheel. They have travelled the world with us, from the depths of the oceans to the summit of Everest, and even to the Moon. They regulate our daily lives and have sculpted the social and economic development of society in surprising and dramatic ways. The Hands of Time's story is not yet finished and the sequel will be just as exciting and thought provoking!Hands of Time is a journey through watchmaking history, from the earliest attempts at time-keeping, to the breakthrough in engineering that gave us the first watch, to today - where the timepieces hold cultural and historical significance beyond what its first creators could have imagined. Acclaimed watchmaker Rebecca Struthers uses the most important watches throughout history to explore their attendant paradigm shifts in how we think about time, indeed how we think about our own humanity. From an up-close look at the birth of the fakes and forgeries industry which marked the watch as a valuable commodity, to the watches that helped us navigate trade expeditions, she reveals how these instruments have shaped how we build and then consequently make our way through the world.

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.

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This point of difference has been both a blessing and a curse – as the antiquarian horologist makes plain in her fantastic debut book Hands of Time: A Watchmaker’s History of Time. Part-memoir, part-investigation into the history, art and science of watchmaking and a complete meditation on humankind’s relationship with time. How it has shaped our attitudes to work, to leisure, to trade and to mortality. In Hands of Time, watchmaker and historian Rebecca Struthers welcomes us into the hidden world of watchmaking, and to a history of time that spans centuries and continents. You have not pictured Doctor Rebecca Struthers – working class, tattooed, snappily dressed, northern and neither middle-aged nor a man. My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Harper for an advance copy on this book about time, what we make of it, how we tell it, and what our knowledge of time tells about about us.