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Engee
·I've no doubt that this is not the first thread about this excellent book, but I decided it was worth a refresher because I think the volume is really excellent having just finished reading it this weekend.
Written by Colin A White, aka OF member @morningtundra it's a highly readable, unpatronising, unassuming, encouraging handbook that was, for me at least, the perfect introduction to the world of Rolex. I set out at page one with virtually no knowledge of the marque bar a few model names and a fair amount of prejudice about the people who like to wear them.
The field guide is written in clear and simple language, and as I said, makes no assumptions of prior knowledge and so is excellent for newbies.
In terms of design, it is clearly and simply set out with excellent use of sidebar articles to give reader variety. It also contains many high quality images and diagrams.
For the buyer the many pages of tables are invaluable for checking technical information and so acts as an ideal reference. But it's not just a technical reference book, it's full of fascinating articles covering the history of the brand and the development of the models and movements.
But perhaps my favourite aspect of the book, as a newbie, is that it's not just for people who want to learn about Rolex. It contains plenty of general information about watch collecting, such as names of all the different hand styles, information about lume and reluming, and fascinating stuff about faking, delivering a well-balanced blend of encouragement and warnings for those who are thinking about stepping into the minefield of vintage watch collecting.
Something I very much appreciated about the Vintage Rolex Field Manual is that it's not written from the perspective of a purist. Colin discusses the areas of controversy around the authenticity of vintage watches without offering his own judgement, only going as far as to say what collectors and purists find acceptable. With that, I left off reading the book thinking that Colin's motivation was only to share his love of vintage watches and to infect the reader with it, rather than to prove his deep expertise (which no doubt he possesses).
I'm just in the process of pulling together the money to fund my first Rolex. I have a pretty good idea of what I want, and this book has been super-helpful as I look at different watches for sale on the internet.
I can highly recommend it.
Written by Colin A White, aka OF member @morningtundra it's a highly readable, unpatronising, unassuming, encouraging handbook that was, for me at least, the perfect introduction to the world of Rolex. I set out at page one with virtually no knowledge of the marque bar a few model names and a fair amount of prejudice about the people who like to wear them.
The field guide is written in clear and simple language, and as I said, makes no assumptions of prior knowledge and so is excellent for newbies.
In terms of design, it is clearly and simply set out with excellent use of sidebar articles to give reader variety. It also contains many high quality images and diagrams.
For the buyer the many pages of tables are invaluable for checking technical information and so acts as an ideal reference. But it's not just a technical reference book, it's full of fascinating articles covering the history of the brand and the development of the models and movements.
But perhaps my favourite aspect of the book, as a newbie, is that it's not just for people who want to learn about Rolex. It contains plenty of general information about watch collecting, such as names of all the different hand styles, information about lume and reluming, and fascinating stuff about faking, delivering a well-balanced blend of encouragement and warnings for those who are thinking about stepping into the minefield of vintage watch collecting.
Something I very much appreciated about the Vintage Rolex Field Manual is that it's not written from the perspective of a purist. Colin discusses the areas of controversy around the authenticity of vintage watches without offering his own judgement, only going as far as to say what collectors and purists find acceptable. With that, I left off reading the book thinking that Colin's motivation was only to share his love of vintage watches and to infect the reader with it, rather than to prove his deep expertise (which no doubt he possesses).
I'm just in the process of pulling together the money to fund my first Rolex. I have a pretty good idea of what I want, and this book has been super-helpful as I look at different watches for sale on the internet.
I can highly recommend it.
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