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More than a fashion accessory or means to tell the time, the wristwatch has become a statement of identity; politician or celebrity, scientist or sportsman, what you choose to wear on your wrist speaks volumes about who you are. 

The World’s Most Expensive Watches presents some of the most extravagant, intricate, collectable, decadent, or just plain interesting modern-day timepieces that sit at the top of the price spectrum. Starting at a threshold price of about $200,000, it is a trip through the last decade or so of watches whose values soar incredibly to prices of $5 million dollars or more. Additionally, there is a selection of notable watches that yielded extremely high prices at auction – many of which are historically relevant.

A stunning collection that is both informative and entertaining; with detailed descriptions of individual watches and articles that usefully deconstruct the price tag with an explanation of the relevance of craftsmanship and complexity of design, as well as the importance of exclusivity, prestige and collectability. Prepare to be impressed by a larger-than-life-look at some relatively small items that command not only huge prices but kudos and respect, in all areas of a global society fascinated with using accessorising to create identity.

This is the second expanded and updated edition.

About the Author:

Ariel Adams is the owner and editor of aBlogtoWatch.com - the world's largest and most popular wristwatch blog, and regularly contributes to other important media such as Forbes, Centurion, Tech Crunch, and more.

- Published in collaboration with aBlogtoWatch.com - the world's most popular watch blog
- A beautifully constructed volume that lends itself to intimate visual horological voyeurism; witness the craftsmanship, design and sheer luxury of some of the world's most exclusive wristwatches

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Пролистать книгу The World's Most Expensive Watches

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Посмотреть видео о книге The World's Most Expensive Watches

Street photography may look like luck, but you have to stack the odds in your favour if you want to come back with a ‘keeper’. From understanding how to be invisible on a busy street, to discovering opportunities in the chaos of a crowd, Matt Stuart reveals the hard-won skills and secrets that have led to his best photographs.

About the Author:

Matt Stuart never goes out without his trusty Leica and, in a career spanning twenty years, has taken some of the most accomplished, witty and well-known photographs of the streets.

Stories and photography intermingle on the pages of this gorgeous homage to ’70s and ’80s cinema and celebrity. Including rare and never-before-seen images, Through Her Lens is a wonderful collection of images and memoires that capture the spirit of the age. From unexpected late-night calls from Romy Schneider, to a stay at Paul Newman’s home in Connecticut; from working on set with Bernardo Bertolucci, Werner Herzog, Steven Spielberg and Sydney Pollack, to lounging poolside with Raquel Welch; Sereny reveals her favourite moments from working behind the lens. This is the first photographic retrospective of Sereny’s star-studded career, including nearly 100 never-before-seen images complemented by Eva’s own stories.

- One of the largest archives of film-set photography and editorial magazine shots from the '70s and '80s
- Introduction by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling
- Archive contains almost 100 unseen pictures, all narrated by Eva Sereny herself: a top professional photographer, working in a male-dominated field
- Includes shots from the sets of several great classical films ('The Great Gatsby', 'The Night Porter', and 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom', and more)

About the Author:

Eva Sereny started to pursue her career in photography in the late '60s and she quickly rose to prominence in her field, despite that photography was very much seen as a 'male' art. She shot the greatest stars of the day - Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and many more. Her work on film sets developed her passion for cinematic direction; her short film 'The Dress', starring Michael Palin, received the British Academy Award (BAFTA) and the Chicago Golden Plaque. Having her work featured on the covers of major magazines, such as The Sunday Times Magazine, Observer Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Paris Match, Harper's Bazaar, Time and Newsweek, Eva's credentials are as glittering as her photographs. Now retired and dividing her time between London, Rome and Sydney, Eva Sereny, in collaboration with Iconic Images, is proud to present Through Her Lens.

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Пролистать книгу Through Her Lens: The Stories Behind the Photography of Eva Sereny

A photographic journey into the heart of Buddhist spirituality and into the daily life and festivals of people in the Tibetan interior

Tibet is the Roof of the World, a place where you feel that you are in the sky just as much are you are on the earth. The intense blueness of space contrasts sharply with the deep green of eastern Tibet’s rolling grasslands and the mineral colours of the west with its expanses of barren rock. For over a thousand years, Buddhist culture has been at the heart of Tibetan society, and anyone who has travelled across these high plateaux will understand how this contemplative civilization flourished in a landscape of such vastness.

Matthieu Ricard's Tibet seeks to bear witness to all that survives of that ancient world – a world capable of making a valuable contribution to contemporary life. It also aims to provide a glimpse of a unique culture that is desperately trying to preserve its authenticity, despite the major upheavals that have shaken the land of its birth.

Contents List

Introduction • A Traditional Society • The Largest Printing Works in the World • A Sense of Celebration • The Top of the World • The Return of a Lama to the Country of Snow • A Visit to the Hermits • A Pilgrimage to a Commune • Humanity

About the Author

Matthieu Ricard is a French writer and Buddhist monk who resides at Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal. He has been the Dalai Lama’s French interpreter since 1989.

Delve into the mind of one of the most original contemporary fashion photographers and explore his fantastical and magical worlds. 

Tim Walker’s monograph Story Teller, published by Thames & Hudson, introduced audiences to this unique photographer’s fantastical, magical worlds, conjured anew with each shoot. But every point must have its counterpoint, day its night, light its dark; creativity is no different. Shoot for the Moon, Walker’s much-anticipated follow-up draws audiences close to reveal fantasy’s other, darker side.

Delving deep into the art and mind of one of the most exciting and original fashion photographers working today, Shoot for the Moon showcases the gamut of Walker’s weird, wild Wonderlands. In images that demand to be read as art as much as fashion, his signature opulence and decadent eccentricity encroach ever further beyond the ‘real’, exploring the mysteries of imagination and inspiration, and where it is they come from.

Dazzlingly designed to a lavish spec, with images featuring some of the biggest names in fashion and contemporary culture, and texts and commentary by a collection of noteworthy contributors as well as Walker himself, Shoot for the Moon is set to be an unmissable addition to the lexicon of fashion photography.

‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars’ Norman Vincent Peale

About the Author

Established photographer Tim Walker’s work appears regularly in the world’s best fashion magazines, including Vanity Fair, Love magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and British Vogue.

Tim Walker is one of fashion photography’s most original eyes

This exceptional and beautifully designed overview of a career caught in mid-flow reveals just how much one man’s singular vision has influenced contemporary tastes in fashion, beauty, glamour and portraiture.

When Walker turns fashion stories into fairy tales, the results are unmistakable and inimitable. Though they may soar in scale and ambition, they are painstakingly realized – and with no concession to artificial enhancement. In this new collection, everything you see was specially constructed; the make-believe really happened.

In Walker’s pursuit of the perfect picture no demand appears too unreasonable, no scenario too outlandish, no objective unattainable. So, if ever you have yearned to crashland a Spitfire in your drawing room, to paint a village yellow, to cut a car in two, to meet a real witch, to swing from several chandeliers, to ride with a pack of foxhounds led by a flying saucer, to pilot a biplane made of French loaves, Tim Walker shows you it is entirely possible. You just have to believe.

Some of the biggest names in fashion and contemporary culture are here: Alber Elbaz sporting a pair of rabbit ears; Agyness Deyn in the sand dunes of Namibia; Alexander McQueen and a memento mori of skull and cigarettes; Helena Bonham Carter poised with Ray-Bans and a Diet Coke; Stella Tennant in a pink cloud among the rhododendrons of an English country garden…

Singer and musician Kate Bush contributes a foreword and Walker himself an afterword, as well as illuminating his pictures throughout with personal observations.

About the Author:

Established photographer Tim Walker’s work appears regularly in the world’s best fashion magazines, including Vanity Fair, Love magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and British Vogue.

Новый альбом всемирно известного фешн-фотографа, Тима Уокера, представляет великолепную коллекцию фотографий, сделанных в присущем ему фантастическом стиле. Уокер – один из самых неординарных фотографов нашего времени, его яркий, завораживающий, зачастую иронический, но всегда безукоризненный стиль, ставит его в один ряд с блестящими эксцентриками, от Сесиля Битона до Дэвида Лашапель.

Когда Уокер превращает фешн-фотографию в настоящую сказку, результат всегда безошибочен и неподражаем. Хотя и предметы, и амбиции на этих снимках велики, все они тщательно выполнены, причем без каких-либо спецэффектов. Если фотографу нужна огромная голова Шалтая-Болтая, она будет специально изготовлена по его замыслу, а не воссоздана на компьютере. Какие невероятные конструкции Вы бы ни увидели на этих фотографиях, все они были сделаны специально, все эти волшебные вещи существуют на самом деле. В погоне фотографа за совершенной картинкой ни одно его требование не кажется слишком неразумным, ни один сценарий – слишком диковинным, ни одна цель – недосягаемой. Так что, если Вы когда-либо страстно желали разбить истребитель «Спитфайр» в своей гостиной, выкрасить целую деревню в желтый цвет, разрубить автомобиль напополам, встретить настоящую ведьму, прогуляться со сворой гончих по летающей тарелке, поуправлять бипланом, сделанном из французских батонов, Тим Уокер покажет Вам, что все это вполне возможно. Вам всего лишь нужно поверить в это.

Помимо оживших сказок Вы найдете здесь самых значимых представителей моды и современной культуры: Альбер Эльбаз, рискнувший надеть кроличьи уши, Агнесс Дейн в песчаных дюнах Намибии, Александр Маккуин и memento mori среди черепов и сигарет, Хелена Бонэм Картер, балансирующая с очками Ray-Ban и бутылочкой диетической колы, Стелла Теннант в розовом облаке среди рододендронов в загородном английском садике

Предисловие к книге написано певицей и музыкантом Кейт Буш, вступление – писателем Робином Мьюиром, а послесловие самим Тимом Уокером.

A behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of Tim Walker, one of the world’s most innovative and sought-after photographers

"Each shoot is a total love letter to an object from the V&A, sometimes several objects. My relationship to objects is like falling in love with someone. It relates to how we interact as people, how you become best friends with someone. It’s a search for a new friend." — Tim Walker

Published to accompany the V&A’s mesmerizing exhibition Tim Walker: Wonderful Things, this book is a journey through the creative mind of one of the world’s most inventive photographers. It presents more than 100 compelling photographs, from ten magical photoshoots inspired by objects from the V&A’s enormous and eclectic collection. Featuring conversations between the set designers, stylists, hair and make-up artists, models, and muses who bring Walker’s imagination to life, it includes contributions by Jack Appleyard, Zoe Bedeaux, Terry Bloxham, Edie Campbell, Gwendoline Christie, Josephine Cowell, James Crewe, Malcolm Edwards, Karen Elson, Katy England, Edward Enninful, Amanda Harlech, Shona Heath, Hungry/Johannes Jaruraak, Ibrahim Kamara, Kate Phelan, James Spencer, Jerry Stafford, Tilda Swinton and Gareth Wrighton. Previously unpublished behind-the-scenes imagery and preliminary sketches combine to reveal Walker’s extraordinary creative process, from his detailed research in the labyrinth of storerooms and galleries at the V&A to his spectacular final pictures.

About the Authors:

Tim Walker is one of the world’s leading photographers. He shot his first fashion story for Vogue in 1995 and he has photographed for British, Italian and American editions, as well as W Magazine and LOVE magazine, ever since.
 Susanna Brown is a photography curator and writer. Her recent V&A projects include Selling Dreams: One Hundred Years of Fashion Photography, Horst: Photographer of Style, and Queen Elizabeth II: Portraits by Cecil Beaton.

A journey through timepieces that have shaped history, defined style, and captured the spirit of innovation.

Wristwatches have transcended their original function as mere timekeepers, evolving into symbols of craftsmanship, design, and cultural significance. From the early 20th-century innovations that gave rise to the first wristwatches to the iconic models that have shaped modern watchmaking, these timepieces have become timeless artifacts of human ingenuity.

Time Machines delves into this rich history, presenting a curated selection of 100 iconic watches from 1900 to today. Each watch tells a unique story, capturing pivotal moments in design, technology, and the cultural shifts that influenced—and were influenced by—these masterpieces.

Structured chronologically, the book offers readers a deep dive into the evolution of watch design across the decades, exploring how watches have reflected cultural movements, technological advancements, and personal style. Through engaging stories and stunning visuals, the book highlights the intersection of craftsmanship, art, and the enduring appeal of watches as both tools and cultural icons.

Time Machines is an essential exploration of the global legacy of watchmaking, offering a visual and narrative journey through the innovation, artistry, and cultural resonance of some of the world’s most influential timepieces.

About the Authors:

Blake Z. Rong and Sean Paul Lorentzen are seasoned writers with a deep passion for storytelling, design, and culture. Blake Z. Rong brings a unique blend of automotive and horological expertise, while Sean Paul Lorentzen’s deep knowledge of watchmaking adds technical insight. Together, they create a compelling narrative that explores the intersection of design, history, and the human stories behind machines.

In a 2021 study, McKinsey describes Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) within the watch market as ‘the industry’s fastest-growing segment’. The trade in pre-owned watches is expected to overtake that in new watches by the middle of the decade. ‘Certified Pre-Owned’ is thus a booming trend. Pre-owned watches are becoming increasingly popular for various reasons: CPO makes classic watches and exclusive rarities accessible to connoisseurs, but also to new customers. Since the fine pieces are authenticated by experts, the market offers security. Above all, however, the CPO business enables an emotional approach: buyers get watches with a history that they can perpetuate themselves and then pass on to the next generation. Dive into the fascinating world of watches and watch collecting with Timeless Treasures.

Does a good watch really have to be expensive? What factors determine the condition of a watch? What should I look for when buying? Are CPO watches a good investment? These and many other questions are answered here by leading experts in the field.

But you will not only find useful information for building your own high-quality collection. You will feel the passion for elegant timepieces on every page of this book. Discover first-class photographs of classic and current watch models from the major brands, of celebrities professing their passion for this accessory, or of legendary film scenes in which special watch models play supporting and leading roles.

The reading is rounded off with a ‘style guide’, which offers watch lovers inspiration on how to perfectly stage their favourite pieces in every situation or also answers the question: What type of watch am I?

The result is an emotional all-round portrait of the impressive world of CPO watches, perfectly attuned to an ever larger and more diverse fan community. It’s time to let a little luxury into your life with this book!

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Посмотреть видео о книге Timeless Treasures: The Fascination of Certified Pre-Owned Watches

The first authorized pictorial autobiography for the trade by the legendary Tina Turner, containing iconic as well as never-before-seen candid photos, letters, and other personal items of The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, from her early career to today.

Tina Turner has always been a glorious force to be reckoned with; for more than sixty years, Tina has captivated audiences all over the world. For the first time, Tina has assembled an exceptional collection of images and ephemera to mark her eightieth birthday. Lavishly illustrated, Tina Turner: That's My Life features the work of world-renowned photographers including Peter Lindbergh, Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber, Anton Corbijn, Herb Ritts, Andy Warhol, Lord Snowdon, and Paul Cox among others. Also showcased are illustrations by fashion designers who were inspired by Tina, including Christian Louboutin, Antonio, and Bob Mackie.

Additionally, Tina delved into her personal archive, and That's My Life showcases some of Tina's most famous dresses, wigs, and shoes. Comments handwritten by Tina Turner herself are included, and as well as handwritten letters from such friends as Beyoncé, Giorgio Armani, Bryan Adams, Oprah Winfrey, and Mick Jagger and others. Tina Turner: That's My Life is a comprehensive window into the world of Tina Turner, and is the perfect celebration of this storied performer that is sure to wow longtime and new fans alike.

About the Author:

Born November 26, 1939 Tina Turner was the first woman to bust open the male clubhouse of rock royalty. She has sold more than 200 million records worldwide and is a twelve-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, including three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Пролистать книгу Tina Turner: That's My Life

Liam Wong’s bestselling debut monograph, a cyberpunk-inspired exploration of nocturnal Tokyo

'I want to take real moments and transform them into something surreal, to make the viewer question the reality depicted in each photograph. This body of work encompasses my three years as a photographer and ultimately the completion of my debut photo series’ Liam Wong

A testament to the deep art of colour composition, this publication – art directed by Wong himself and produced to the highest printing standards – brings together a complete and refined body of images that are evocative, timeless and completely transporting. Rounding out the book’s special treatment is the first publication use of the 45/90 font, designed by Henrik Kubel, of London-based A2-TYPE. The book also features a section that reveals the creative and technical process of Wong’s method, from identifying the right scene to composition, from capturing the essence of a moment to enhancing colour values and deepening an image’s impact – insights are invaluable to admirers and photography enthusiasts alike.

About the Author:

Liam Wong is an award-winning art director, currently based in Japan. Graphic designer, game developer and photographer, he is best known for defining, designing and directing visual identities and was listed as one of Forbes magazine’s influential 30 under 30.

Innovation, exclusivity, and elegance define Patek Philippe, a family-owned company with a single and passionate calling: to perfect the watch. These lavishly illustrated books present some of the most important timepieces from the more than 3,000 watches exhibited at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. These precious timepieces have been passionately assembled over more than 40 years by Philippe Stern, Honorary President of the company, and include some of the most valuable pieces in watchmaking history. The books allow you to take the Patek Philippe Museum’s exhibition home with you, or, alternatively, to get a preview of its treasures before you visit.

From the collection of historic watches featuring the first portable timepieces dating back to the 16th century to innovative milestones in Patek Philippe’s portfolio since its founding in 1839, each watch is reproduced with such beauty and precision that you can almost hear it ticking. With expert curatorial insight and context from Peter Friess, Conservateur of the Patek Philippe Museum, these intricate mechanisms are not only presented for themselves; they also offer a unique perspective into the cultural history of the last 500 years. True to the trust and excellence of the Patek Philippe brand, the presentation, the extraordinary book design by Birgit Binner, and content of these sumptuous publications meet the highest professional standards. They are the perfect books for the “perfect watch.”

- Two richly illustrated books presented in a slipcase — the result of a unique collaboration between teNeues and one of the most sought-after watch brands of our time
- 235 rare watches from the history of watchmaking
- Two lavish books for collectors and lovers of luxury watches
- Take home your own version of the “Temple to Watchmaking”

About the Author:

In directing and curating the Patek Philippe Museum, Peter Friess, a master watchmaker, patented inventor, educator, and art historian, found his dream job, which, he says, “put me into direct contact with the world’s most creative watchmakers and skilled craftsmen of all kinds. For me, Patek Philippe is not only a manufacturer of watches, but a protector of world heritage, keeping alive crafts like enamel painting, which would not have survived without the company’s efforts to preserve them.”

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Пролистать книгу Treasures from the Patek Philippe Museum: Vol. 1: The Emergence of the Watch (Antique Collection); Vol. 2: The Quest for the Perfect Watch (Patek Philippe Collection)

Twilight chronicles the art of photographer Gregory Crewdson’s gallery exhibitions of his fantastic, creative images.

“Crewdson is at the forefront of a movement in contemporary photography that has abandoned realism in pursuit of pure cinematic fantasy.”—New York Times Magazine

Twilight: in that zone between the certainty of day and fear of the dark, Gregory Crewdson sets his eerie, enigmatic photographs. A woman floats in her flooded living room; a cow appears to have fallen from the sky onto a front lawn; a gang of teenagers, seemingly hypnotized, pile up household objects for a bonfire. Created as elaborately staged tableaux, this series of images suggests the bizarre yet beautiful surrealities behind deceptively familiar suburban facades.

Including both production stills and the 40 finished images, all in full color, this volume features an essay by Pushcart Prize–winning author Rick Moody, a novelist equally renowned for exposing the underbelly of small-town, middle-class America.

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Crewdson's most recent series of photographs, Twilight, are created as elaborately constructed film stills, catching the mysterious moment of time between before and after, revealing unknowable or unimaginable aspects of domestic reality.

A cow lies on its back on the lawn between two houses while firemen secure the area and a man searches the sky. Could the cow have rained down from above? In another image stacks and stacks of inedible slices of bread - bearing an odd resemblance to the mysterious monoliths at Stonehenge - are watched over by a gathering of birds. Both entirely foreign and oddly familiar, these images are carefully orchestrated events that challenge our very notions of familiarity, undermining our sense of certainty. These eerie and evocative photographs pair beauty with horror, obsession with disgust, and the real with the surreal, suggesting narratives open to endless interpretations. The book includes an essay written by fiction writer Rick Moody.

The book and exhibitions are comprised of the forty images from his Twilight series which was begun in 1998 - these exhibitions and this book chronicle the completion of the series and mark the first time it will be seen in its entirety.

An epic motorcycle journey 20,000 miles across the Americas, from Brooklyn to the end of Patagonia.

Come along for the adventure of a lifetime: revel in the freedom of a road trip, and join two friends riding into the unknown — traveling 20,000 miles south on their trusty BMW air-cooled G/S overland haulers. From the Guatemalan jungle, to the magical, desolate Bolivian salt flats, the high roads of the Peruvian Andes, all the way to Ushuaia, the Land of Fire.

About the Author:

Born in Barcelona, Matias Corea moved to Brooklyn in 2002 to further his career as a designer and entrepreneur. In 2006 he co-founded Behance. His deep passion for motorcycles, travel, and photography drive his curiosity and his constant search for opportunities to learn, grow, and adapt through new adventures.

A bike is all you need to join this epic adventure, spanning continents and years, that will awaken your thirst for exploration.

Could you live permanently on the road? When all your belongings fit in a few bags, your office is a roadside diner, and your home is a meandering route from Canada to the southern tip of Argentina?

In Two Years on a Bike, Martijn Doolaard puts it to the test. Strapping the necessities onto his bicycle, he ventures into desolate wastelands and sojourns in vast cities, exploring what it means to be at home in the world while embracing a life of minimalism and long-term travel.

Along the winding roads of California’s coasts, the impenetrable jungles of Mexico, the ever-higher passes of the Andes Mountains, and the severe alpine forests of Patagonia, Doolaard eschews comfort and convention for the sake of documenting life on one of the world’s most breathtaking — and notorious — routes.

About the Author:

Martijn Doolaard is a dutch photographer, designer and travel writer. He grew up in a small town in the Netherlands where fishing and camping holidays with his three brothers formed the inspiration of his current outdoor life. In 2015, he put his life in the city on pause and rode his bicycle to China, describing the trip in the widely acclaimed One Year on a Bike, published by gestalten. The itch of leaving again came quite soon...