Archibald’s Watches: Observations on a Contemporary Collection

Archibald's Watches explores an imaginary collector’s extraordinary watch collection, bringing together more than 120 rare and iconic timepieces from prestigious houses such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Cartier. Collecting watches is never a simple act of accumulation; it is a way of bringing together pieces, eras, and sensibilities. In this book, prefaced by Brice Wittmann, readers are invited to discover a collection of more than 120 exceptional watches spanning different periods of time. It features unique models, sometimes produced in highly limited series, creations by independent watchmakers, contemporary pieces, as well as a number of vintage watches. Prestigious watchmaking houses stand out throughout the book, including Patek Philippe, F.P. Journe, De Bethune, Cartier, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, and Omega. Bringing these watches together, placing them in dialogue, and presenting them within a single narrative sequence becomes a way of telling a story. Through this book, Clément Mazarian — a watch enthusiast and specialist in collectible timepieces — sought to study a collection of very real watches, gathered under the banner of an imaginary collector: Archibald, a fictional figure born from a memory.