Can you recall the last 20 years (before 2020!), arguably the most sensational years in the history of watchmaking? The Millennium Watch Book is not only a collective piece of work that pieces together what has been learned in watchmaking since the year 2000—it displays it in XXL format, giving people familiar with the industry as well as watch and design enthusiasts with the joys of the objects they adore, as inexhaustible as the energy provided by automatic winding.
More than twelve months of research and writing went into the design of this fascinating 300-page book, consisting of half a million characters and over a thousand photos. Assembled by Swiss publisher Brice Lechevalier, 25 internationally renowned experts condense the last two decades inside The Millennium Watch Book. All together, these experts from all over of the world who have been entrenched in this industry contributed to this book. They bore witness to this intensely rich period in watchmaking and in these 20 visually striking chapters, explore the most prevalent themes that have marked the last two decades. This is not a book for hyper-specialised geeks—it is a magnificent collection that is indispensable for a better understanding of the watchmaking world from 2000 to 2020.
Which chronographs and technical materials have marked these two decades? What ten trends have emerged and why will the tourbillon never be the same again? What are the 20 watches that best symbolise each year and how have women’s watches evolved? How have bracelets changed and patents been used? The Millennium Watch Book also explores the rise of the independents, the use of silicon and explosion of pre-owned watches. It also lists all the laureates of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in all categories since it was founded in 2001. In Who’s Who, you can read profiles of the 80 industry figures who have each, in their own way, indelibly marked contemporary watchmaking today. (the-watch-book.com)