A charmingly illustrated telling of the remarkable stories behind over 30 of the world’s most iconic timepieces.

From the humble digital watch to luxury examples of haute horology from Switzerland, a watch’s combination of design, engineering and functionality can captivate a wearer. Iconic Watches presents over 30 timepieces that would sit proudly in any watch enthusiast’s collection. From the watch that helped US soldiers win World War II to the first watch on the moon, the most valuable ‘lost watch’ of all time to the timepiece that almost destroyed the Swiss watchmaking industry, each entry offers an intimate portrait of why each watch deserves its place in history. The remarkable stories cover the globe and beyond, featuring Hollywood royalty, actual royalty, daring adventurers, war heroes, legendary designers and engineers, and much more. It’s a beautifully illustrated window into the watch industry and one that readers are sure to love spending time with.

Introduction

Breguet No. 2639 (1810).
The Marie Antoinette: Breguet Grande Complication No. 160 (1827)
American Watch Company Waltham 1857 (‘the William Ellery’) (1857) 
Cartier Santos (1904)
Cartier Tank (1919)
Rolex Oyster (1926)
Longines Lindbergh Hour Angle (1931)
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso (1931)
Ingersoll Mickey Mouse (1933)
Panerai Radiomir (1935)
IWC B-Uhr (1940)
American A-11 US military (1942)
Omega Seamaster (1948)
Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox (1950)
Patek Philippe 2499 (1950)
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (1953)
Rolex Submariner (1953)
Breitling Navitimer (1954)
Rolex GMT-Master (1955)
Omega Speedmaster Professional (1957)
Junghans Max Bill (1961)
Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ (1969)
Heuer Monaco (1969)
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972)
Seiko 06LC (1973)
Hewlett-Packard HP-01 (1977)
Swatch Watch (1983)
Casio F-91W (1989)
Oakley Time Bomb (1998)
Ulysse Nardin Freak (2001)
Hublot Big Bang (2005)
Bulgari Octo Finissimo (2014)
Apple Watch (2015)