A watch can elegantly and effortlessly define one’s personal style. If the eyes are the windows to the soul then what you choose to wear on your wrist is perhaps the grand entryway.
Matt Hranek’s A Man And His Watch is a celebration of personality-making timepieces. The visually rich book charts the stories of the wristwatches of some of the world’s most famous men. Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona was such a part of his timeless look that he wore it every single day for 35 years until he passed away in 2008. President Franklin Roosevelt was noted wearing his favorite gold Tiffany watch, gifted to him by a friend, when he went to meet Stalin and Churchill at the Yalta Conference. While another American President, John F. Kennedy proudly sported his Omega on his inauguration day. Other stories include how Sir Edmund Hillary’s Rolex was the first watch to summit Mt. Everest, along with so many more anecdotes and accounts of some of the world’s most sought-after timepieces.
Hranek, who is a watch collector and style setter himself, trekked around the world for interviews and features on some of the most exclusive collections of timepieces. The effort wasn’t in vain, as he also reveals the untold stories of 76 watches along with their breathtaking imagery. From such a painstaking approach to the craft and appreciation of watchmaking, Hranek weaves a narrative that is more than just an homage to timepieces, but celebrates the historical moments, awe-inspiring achievements, heirloom possessions, and family mementos of these extraordinary items.