Editor Marton Radkai shares his experience working with Layman Publishing Partners on the specialized 352-page Wristwatch Annual, featuring 130+ mechanical watch brands and technical content.
Wristwatch Annual, published by Abbeville Press, is a 352-page behemoth, with an approximately 50-page magazine section followed by a catalog section featuring up to 130 brands of mechanical wristwatches, calibers, a glossary, and various other articles that might be of interest to the collector or the fan of wristwatches. It is a specialized publication that is itself widely collected by very exacting customers: watch fans. It is based on a similar German annual (Armbanduhren), so about half of the material is translated, and the other half is from me or the occasional guest contributor.
I have been the editor of this book for the past 15 years. Since 2021, the project realization has been managed by the Layman Publishing Partners, and, I should add, much to my delight. What distinguishes this team is sheer professionalism, by which I mean flexibility and care for the incoming material, be it photographs or text—wristwatches are quite complex, and the technical material can be confusing—and a lot of patience and calm under fire, especially when deadlines are looming.
Wristwatch Annual is a genuine challenge owing to subject matter in itself. Then, there are the disparate and often unresponsive sources of the image material and the information. As the sole editor, I am quite persnickety about the specs for the 1,400 or so wristwatches we present, and that can lead to time issues. Paper, as opposed to online copy, doesn’t forget, so you want to be extra careful. Once it has been printed, there is no going back, no updating or deleting.
Furthermore, I tend to write dense chapters on things like the philosophy of time, Chinese esthetics, arcane technical details, and so forth, which is not always easy to edit. But I know I can rely on the Layman Publishing Partners to do what it takes to clear up my strange syntax, catch unfinished thoughts, not to speak of the typos, and keep the project cruising along under their watchful eyes.
We have worked together for several years now and all I can say is this: It has been genuine relief to have a reliable, responsive team like that Layman Publishing Partners, and I am already looking forward to our next collaboration.
Marton Radkai
Geneva, Switzerland