Loading...For over one year I have been offering watch books by Editore Mondani in Italy for sale in Germany.
When I first got in touch with Giorgia Mondani, the daughter of Mister Mondani, I already knew about these books but did not yet own one. I think what scared me until then was the high price for a book, even though I am a watchenthusiast and love mechanical watches. However, the contact to Giorgia changed my own perception significantly.
Giorgia somehow did not have to do a lot of convincing to make me start to offer their books for sale in Germany. This was the opportunity to get to see more of these books, to get more insight into Rolex and other brands such as Patek, Omega, Panerai, etc..
As I started my search for potential buyers and for venues I can use to advertise these books in Germany, I placed my first order and received several books written on Rolex Submariner, GMT, and other books. The day I received these books and opened them for the first time, I was stunned by the quality of the making and photography, by the amount of extremely rare vintage watches, and by the setup of each book, the high level and constant setup of each photograph. Generally, these books are written in Italian and English with few exceptions, one of them being Rolex Gallery which is written in 5 languages among them German, Spanish, and French.
Clearly, I immediately realized that the price of these books was more than justified albeit high. While it took me a while to make my first sales, I ordered the main important books on Submariner, GMT, Speedmaster, Panerai, just to get a basic library together. I feel no regrets and believe these books are a great investment, not only for a major collector, but also or even more for those who are starting to get into watches. These books serve as a source to compare vintage watches offered in the market. While some hardcore collectors have found out that there are some watches that are not perfect in these books, we always have to keep in mind when Mr. Mondani started his quest for vintage Rolex watches at a time, when most of us were probably not yet drinking milk, not to speak of beer. 😉
I must say, I enjoy reading these books over and over again, and many times late in the evening I catch myself reaching for one of the books and browse through them. It is a great pleasure to have met not only Giorgia, but the whole family, father, mother and sister in person, and I am sure, these books will continue to evolve and I am looking forward to the upcoming new edition of Rolex Daytona in 2012.
I posted my bookshrine a while ago, but here it is again:
