We have an interesting new arrival this month, a book by David Penney about the very early development of the wristwatch in England. From time to time the Swiss claim to have invented the wristwatch but this is not true; read this book for the English side of the story.

Also listed below are lots of good second-hand and out of print books which you may be interested in reading over the winter.

New Books:

English Wristwatches: The Untold Story
David Penney

NEW. Profile No 2 in a series of booklets by David Penney. A very good account of the early history of the development of the wristwatch, starting with leather converters to hold a small fob watch, followed by watches with added lugs to take a one-piece strap, then the wristwatch more or less as we know it today. The wristwatch concept was invented in England in the 1870's and this book includes watches by Rotherhams, Nicole Nielson, J. W. Benson, W. H. Williamson and the Lancashire Watch Company. Card covers.

23 pages, illustrated, 2021.

£15.00 Order Here

High-Class English Watches
Nicole, Nielsen & Company Ltd

NEW. A reprint of a Nicole, Nielson catalogue of circa 1910 illustrating many different pocket watches and their prices. Nicole, Nielsen & Co. made high quality watches for Dent and Frodsham amongst others. Card covers.

33 pages, illustrated, limited edition of 350 copies, 2002.

£15.00 Order Here

Garnier (R.) & Hollis (L.): Innovation & Collaboration - The Early Development of the Pendulum Clock in London (deluxe leatherbound edition)
NEW. £470.00 less 10% Order Here

Woodford (N. & D.): The Thristle Clockmakers of Somerset 1765 - 1899 including James Cole of Stowey, John Millard of Stogursey and the Dial Makers Pyke of Bridgewater and Cox of Taunton
NEW. £19.50 Order Here

Out of Print Books:

Abell (S.G.), Leggat (J.) & Ogden (W.G.): A Bibliography of the Art of Turning & Lathe and Machine Tool History
O/P. £40.00 Order Here * One copy only *

[Antiquorum]: The Art of Breguet
O/P. £55.00 Order Here

[Antiquorum]: The Art of Patek Philippe - Legendary Watches (including Calibre 89)
O/P. £85.00 Order Here * One copy only *

Atkins (C.E.): The Company of Clockmakers: Register of Apprentices 1631 - 1931
O/P. £295.00 less 10% Order Here * Two copies only *

Ball (M.): Bringing the Work On 1675 to 1680
O/P. £175.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Bennett, Cooper, Hunter & Jardine: London's Leonardo - the Life and Work of Robert Hook
O/P. £20.00 Order Here * One copy only *

Berthoud (F.): Histoire de la mesure du temps par les horloges (facsimile reprint, 2 volumes)
O/P. £265.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Marine Chronometers at Greenwich
Jonathan Betts

O/P. A catalogue of the marine chronometers at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich with a complete description and photographs of every instrument preceded by the history of the marine chronometer, details of how the instruments were made, and a guide to how to assess and date them. Fine copy with fine dust jacket and fine slipcase.

748 pages, over 500 illustrations, 2018.

£135.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

[Billmeir]: A Catalogue of Scientific Instruments from the Collection of J. A. Billmeir Esq & A Supplement to a Catalogue of Scientific Instruments in the Collection of J. A. Billmeir, Esq., C.B.E.
O/P. £70.00 Order Here * One copy only *

Blaise (C.): Time Lord, Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time
O/P. £8.00 Order Here * Two copies only *

Bonniksen (B.): The Karrusel Watch by its Inventor (the reprint)
O/P. £60.00 Order Here * One copy only *

Breguet (E.) & Sabrier (J.-C.): Breguet in the Hermitage
O/P. £75.00 Order Here * One copy only *

Culme (J.): The Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, Jewellers and Allied Traders 1838 - 1914 (2 volumes)
O/P. £140.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Cumming (A.): The Elements of Clock and Watch-work - Adapted to Practice in Two Essays (1st edition, 1766)
O/P. £650.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

The Sandberg Watch Collection
Terence Camerer Cuss

O/P. A deluxe large folio volume in watered silk covered box, presenting the magnificent horological collection built by Lord Sandberg, a former chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The collection, spanning the period 1540 to 1900, comprised 423 items (all clearly described and beautifully illustrated) including complicated and astronomical watches, enamelled and automaton watches for the Chinese Market, singing bird boxes, erotic watches and watches of exquisite form. This is a high quality volume printed on 250gsm matt paper with all edges gilt, bound in full dark green morocco with gilt lettering and tooling to the spine and the arms of Lord Sandberg in gilt on the front cover. See website for full description and photographs.

497 pages, over 1000 colour illustrations, full dark green Madras morocco binding, limited edition of 100 copies, 1998.

£2,500.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Daly (A.): Ormskirk Clockmakers & Watchmakers
O/P. £110.00 less 10% Order Here

Dekker (E.): Globes at Greenwich
O/P. £395.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Francillon (A.): Histoire de la Fabrique des Longines - précédée d'un essai sur le Comptoir Agassiz (1947)
O/P. £150.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Hatton (T.): An Introduction to the Mechanical Part of Clock and Watch Work (1st edition, 1773)
O/P. £495.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Isnardi (A.): The Master of Omega - Speedmaster - Flightmaster - Speedsonic
O/P. £395.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Nardin (R.): Les Chronomètres de Marine Ulysse Nardin
O/P. £65.00 Order Here * One copy only *

[Patek Philippe]: Timepieces for Royalty - 1850-1910
O/P. £125.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Rees (A.): The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature (The horology plates, 1st edition, 1819 - 1820)
O/P. £125.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Reid (T.): Treatise on Clock and Watch Making, Theoretical and Practical (2nd edition, 1843, leather bound)
O/P. £250.00 less 10% Order Here * One copy only *

Roche (J.C.): The History, Development and Organisation of the Birmingham Jewellery and Allied Trades
O/P. £20.00 Order Here * One copy only *

Treffry (T.) editor: Derek Pratt FBHI Watchmaker 1938 - 2009
O/P. £95.00 Order Here * One copy only *

The December newsletter will contain book suggestions for Christmas. Until then, happy reading!

With best wishes, Jeff & Ros Formby

Jeffrey Formby Antiques
Specialist in Horological Books & English Clocks
www.formby-clocks.co.uk
Phone UK: (0) 1608 650558