Compendium 01

Compendium 01 is Christopher Ward’s first coffee-table book: a 198-page celebration of watch culture written by renowned journalist and collector Ken Kessler.

The project was created with a simple ambition: to make the fascinating, occasionally eccentric world of watches more accessible. Bringing together three decades of Kessler’s writing, Compendium 01 explores everything from tourbillons and James Bond to cars, collectors and the industry itself, combining deep horological knowledge with humour and storytelling.

Importantly, this wasn’t designed as a Christopher Ward catalogue. Featuring references to more than 100 watch brands, it was deliberately created for the wider watch community – from experienced collectors to those just beginning to explore the hobby. It extended Christopher Ward’s long-standing “Do Your Research” philosophy beyond its own watches, encouraging curiosity about the industry as a whole.

The response demonstrated that appetite. Compendium 01 has sold several thousand copies and, since launch, has remained within Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers in its Antique & Collectable Clocks & Watches category.

More than a piece of brand marketing, Compendium 01 became a new way for Christopher Ward to share the passion behind watch collecting.