Hands of Time

A Watchmaker’s History

By: Rebecca Struthers

Narrated by: Anna Ploszajski

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

"A hugely entertaining achievement." –Esquire

“An engaging survey through a period of intellectual history that reveals as much about people who wear watches as the objects on their wrists." – Wall Street Journal

"As impeccably crafted and precisely engineered as any of the watches on which the author has worked so lovingly over the years, this book is a joy to behold and a wonder to enjoy.” –Simon Winchester, author of The Perfectionists and Land

An award-winning watchmaker—one of the few practicing the art in the world today—chronicles the invention of time through the centuries-long story of one of mankind’s most profound technological achievements: the watch.

Timepieces have long accompanied us on our travels, from the depths of the oceans to the summit of Everest, the ice of the arctic to the sands of the deserts, outer space to the surface of the moon. The watch has sculpted the social and economic development of modern society; it is an object that, when disassembled, can give us new insights both into the motivations of inventors and craftsmen of the past, and, into the lives of the people who treasured them.

Hands of Time is a journey through watchmaking history, from the earliest attempts at time-keeping, to the breakthrough in engineering that gave us the first watch, to today – where the timepieces hold cultural and historical significance beyond what its first creators could have imagined. Acclaimed watchmaker Rebecca Struthers uses the most important watches throughout history to explore their attendant paradigm shifts in how we think about time, indeed how we think about our own humanity. From an up-close look at the birth of the fakes and forgeries industry which marked the watch as a valuable commodity, to the watches that helped us navigate trade expeditions, she reveals how these instruments have shaped how we build and then consequently make our way through the world.

A fusion of art and science, history and social commentary, this fascinating work, told in Struthers’s lively voice and illustrated with custom line drawings by her husband and fellow watchmaker Craig, is filled with her personal observations as an expert watchmaker—one of the few remaining at work in the world today. Horology is a vast subject—the “study of time.” This compelling history offers a fresh take, exploring not only these watches within their time, but the role they played in human development and the impact they had on the people who treasured them.

©2023 Rebecca Struthers (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent

A welcome treat for someone who loves watches and horology but doesn't get much interaction with fellow enthusiasts. Beautifully read. Love it.

Fantastic history of watches…

…entwined with an autobiography. You will learn things! Plus, this book has nothing to do with clocks, but watches.

Perceptions of time.

I loved taking this fascinating journey through history learning about the evolution of clocks and watchmaking. The author especially made me think about so much more by considering the impact these captivating pieces of engineering have on culture and history. Fantastic!

What a marvelous read!

Prepare to embark on an extraordinary journey through the world of timekeeping with 'Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History.' Dr. Rebecca Struthers has crafted a literary masterpiece that delves into the captivating art of horology and takes us on a profound historical odyssey. This book is an indispensable historical reference that will undoubtedly become your trusted companion on your watchmaking endeavors. Dr. Struthers' unparalleled expertise and unbridled passion for preserving the legacy of watchmaking are nothing short of exhilarating.

In sum, 'Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History' is a triumph, a literary treasure that will ignite your fascination with watches and their intricate stories. This book is a must-read for anyone who cherishes the artistry of timekeeping and leaves you inspired to explore the world of horology with newfound vigor.

Good

This is a good book, with good passages about the history of clock and respecting a timeline of events. However, it is more a personal approach from the author to the world of watches than a history book. I was expecting the latter, but still could enjoy the book. The author’s passion compensate a bit.

Very interesting, while it was about clocks.

A fascinating and elucidating trip through the history of human timekeeping, told by a master clock maker with the ability to appreciate the engineering and design of each new invention and improvement. This is one of the few Audible titles where I went looking for an accompanying PDF, hoping to see some of the wondrous objects being described; alas, only to come up empty. If this were the whole of the book (and had a PDF), it would easily have been 5 stars.

Unfortunately, Rebecca often drifts off course into politics, economics, and sociology, wherein her talents clearly do not lay. Just as one example: a whole chapter serves no purpose in furthering the story of time keeping, and only exists so that at the end she can trumpet the virtues of socialized healthcare; a chapter in which she recounts how her (socialized) doctors misdiagnosed and gaslit her for years telling her repeatedly that her symptoms were imaginary until she badgered them into doing more tests that revealed she had MS. Yeah, not exactly a ringing endorsement of the NHS despite the literary happy ending she gave it.

And despite being one of the most skilled and sought-after (not to mention highly-paid) practitioners in her field, she is constantly entreating the audience to see her as a victim for being, alternatingly, not like the other girls (a girl who makes clocks, can you even imagine!), and not like the other clock makers (a clock maker who is a girl, preposterous!). The entire work would be a little bit shorter, and a whole lot better if Rebecca had simply stuck to the subject at hand.