At the turn of the twentieth century, brothers Louis, Jacques and Pierre Cartier, grandsons of the founder, paved the way for a style whose influences came from Paris, London and New York – the historic locations of a brand that has continued to reinvent itself with endless elegance.

A classic among watches, instantly recognisable by the logo on its bezel, the Bulgari Bulgari marked the Italian firm's arrival as a watchmaker. Four decades later, it remains an icon of style.

Of all the inventions that have helped improve the precision of mechanical watches, none is more important, or less well-documented, than the development of the regulating organ. To help bridge that gap, we retrace the history of escapements from the earliest devices to the very latest silicon regulators. Part two: from the invention of the balance spring in 1675 to the detached lever escapement in the 1770s.

Appointed chief executive in 2000, three years after joining the brand, Angelo Bonati spent 17 years at the head of Panerai which, from its beginnings in Florence, is now a firm fixture of Swiss watchmaking. This "sweet seventeen" crowns one of the sector's biggest successes in recent decades. A testimonial to Mr. Bonati as he retires from the brand whose fortunes he admirably steered.

Between 1892 and the end of the 1970s, Audemars Piguet produced 550 complicated wristwatches. They are documented in an impressive new book, which also narrates the Manufacture's efforts to safeguard this grand tradition.