A book review — Hands of Time by Rebecca Struthers.
This might seem a “dusty” subject but is extremely interesting, on a few fronts.
The author has a Ph.D in antiquarian horology.
The history of timepieces is covered, including a 44,000-year-old bone moon tracker. She offers a comprehensive coverage of what a watchmaker did historically and does today, and also a coverage of the history of the Protestant Huguenots and their persecution, including the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in 1572. This resulted in people settling, for reasons of safety, in all different parts of the then world, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Their craft skills came with them of course.
Apparently cheap copies are nothing new. Technical corners were cut to become more price competitive.
