Father’s Day Gift For Watch Lovers: Connoisseur’s Guide To Fine Timepieces

(This article by Roberta Naas first appeared on Forbes.com.)

Looking for the perfect gift for your watch-loving father without having to break the bank on an expensive grail watch? A new oversized coffee-table book about watches has just made its way to market and it is bound to be riveting for any timepiece enthusiast. The Connoisseur’s Guide to Fine Timepieces, created by European Watch Company and published by the renowned Assouline, is a more-than-300-page anthology of some of the most desirable watches ever built.

Housed in an outer protective box complete with cover image of Patek Philippe, the luxurious book, which retails for $195, showcases more than 150 legendary watches that range from grand complications to classical watches and even some of the most avant-garde cutting-edge pieces ever to  come to fruition. The book boasts hundreds of photographs and includes educational text about the watches, their making and what sets them apart.

The superbly photographed watch images – more than 150 in total – showcase brands from A. Lange & Sohne to Audemars Piguet, Cartier, F.P. Journe, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and others.

While The Connoisseur’s Guide to Fine Timepieces is a celebration of 30 years of success of the Boston-based European Watch Company, it is also a tribute to the retailer’s discerning clients and worldwide watch lovers who tirelessly search for the best horological works of art in the pre-owned and vintage space.

Founded in 1993 in Boston, European Watch Company is owned and operated by a father-son team: Albert Ganjei, CEO, and son Joshua Ganjei. The company has long built a reputation on trust and integrity – and by stocking a veritable treasure chest of pre-owned timepieces.

In the foreword of the book, the duo state, “We invite you to immerse yourself in the images and stories that grace these pages and to spend time with some of the rarest and most exceptional watches ever made.”

Standout timepieces featured in the book include a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 3971/E made with Tiffany & Co.’s logo on the dial as part of a partnership between these two venerable brands. Several full-page full-color images are dedicated to Patek Philippe’s  Grand Complication celestial watches, as well, including the Sky Moon. In fact, dozens of spreads and full pages are dedicated to Patek Philippe alone.

Similarly, Rolex graces dozens of pages, as well, with everything from the are Rainbow Daytona Ref. 116595RBOW Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph to the “Eye of the Tiger” Daytona and the much-coveted Daytona “leopard” Ref. 116598SSACO. Of course, no watch coverage of Rolex would be complete without showcasing the Rolex that Steve Mc Queen wore in 12 Hours of Sebring, or that Sean Connery wore as James Bond in Dr. No in 1962. Even the Paul Newman Daytona Ref 6239  prominently occupies a couple of pages.

Brands like A. Lange & Sohne and F.P. Journe also claim a good portion of the book. And Breguet, Blancpain and Vacheron Constantin play a role. Meanwhile, key independent watch brands, including Kari Voutilainen, Urwerk, MB&F, H. Moser, Richard Mille and more, are profiled. The list goes on and on. Many of these fine timepieces are interspersed on the pages with lifestyle shots, action shots and other intriguing glimpses into history that remind us of the relevance of time.

An introduction to the book, that discusses the Ganjei family’s rise in the pre-owned watch world, is written by European-based journalist Robin Swithinbank.