The Essential Playlist: Must-See Films and Documentaries for Watch Lovers
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Films/documentaries on watchmaking are a great way to explore the world of horology. Recently, GMT India spotlighted several timeless documentaries that every horology aficionado must watch. We now add a few more gems to the list of classic feature films and documentaries on watchmaking.
Unrest (2022)
Cyril Schäublin’s Unrest is set in the Swiss Jura mountains during the late 1800s. The feature film focuses on the experiences of two main characters, Josephine (Clara Gostynski), a Swiss watch factory worker, and Pyotr Kropotkin (Alexei Evstratov), a Russian geographer inspired by the burgeoning anarchist movement in the region. Together, they witness the absurdity of how some watch factory owners treat their employees.
Making Time (2022)
This features five extraordinary horologists, designers, and watchmakers, who create exquisite watches by hand, in keeping with a 500-year-old tradition and technique. This 75-minute feature-length documentary features Philippe Dufour, Maximilian Büsser, Brittany “Nico” Cox, Ludovic Ballouard, and Aldis Hodge.
Keeper of Time (2022)
Keeper of Time explores the astonishing and beautiful world of mechanical watchmaking while contemplating the theoretical and philosophical notions of time, ageing, and mortality. Replete with interviews with renowned scholars in the fields of theoretical physics, physiology, and philosophy, the documentary features the stories of four of the best independent watchmakers in the world — Philippe Dufour, Roger W. Smith, François-Paul Journe, and Maximilian Büsser.
The Watchmaker’s Apprentice (2015)
This feature film tells the inspirational story of Dr George Daniels, who rose from what can be regarded as Dickensian poverty to become the finest watchmaker of the modern era. It also shows how Roger Smith embarked on an obsessive, seven-year quest to become Daniels’ apprentice and eventually, his equal.
Longitude (2000)
The feature film has two parallel stories. One is about clockmaker John Harrison who built the marine chronometer for safe navigation at the sea in the 18th century. The other story revolves around horologist Rupert Gould who became obsessed with restoring the chronometer in the 20th century.
Image Credits: IMDB
