The Impossible Collection of Watches (2nd Edition)

For this update of the original 2014 edition, British historian and journalist Nicholas Foulkes has selected the 100 pioneering timepieces developed since the early 20th century, weighing the virtues of rarity, preciousness, innovative functions, historical importance, grand provenance and beautiful design. The watch - a microcosm of hundreds of tiny parts working harmoniously together and bound in a case of precious metal - has the power to evoke emotion, spark the imagination and inspire the same passion as great art. Beautiful timepieces invite us to participate in a story, and the story these 100 specimens unfold is that of one of the most exciting and dynamic periods in human history.

These miniature machines reflect the incredible technological advances and social changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, from the invention of the airplane and the consequences of two world wars to the advent of space exploration and the dawn of the digital age. Featuring illustrious names such as Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin, these 100 timepieces include new acquisitions such as the Patek Philippe Ref. 97975, the earliest known perpetual calendar wristwatch, the 2014 Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium and the 2022 Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather Musical Watch. This handmade Ultimate Collection features hand-tipped graphics and is presented in a luxurious clamshell case.