Book Review:
THE ROLEX REPORT
By: John B. Holbrook, II
October 11th, 2008
One of the first books I ever purchased about Rolex watches was John E. Brozek’s THE ROLEX REPORT: An Unauthorized Reference Book For Rolex Enthusiasts. It was a great read then, and it still remains my favorite printed book on the subject of Rolex.
Over the years I’ve stuck a friendship with John Brozek, and even visited with him during a 2006 trip to the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. He’s been a great friend and quite an inspiration for me and the work I’ve done in print and online about Rolex. Here’s a photo with myself and author John Brozek.:
Nearly all the books on the market which are Rolex related have a price tag well north of $100.00. THE ROLEX REPORT costs just $39.95 and is in my opinion the best value among all Rolex books. Sure, it’s a soft cover book, and the content is in black and white. But John is a native English speaker, and an excellent writer, so where many of the Italian authored Rolex related books out there are coffee table picture books with little actual information, Brozek’s book is extremely high on information, with less emphasis on photos. In particular, Part II of the book deals with educated the reader on the art and science of spotting fake Rolex watches – there’s no telling how many thousands of dollars Brozek has saved consumers who, without his book, would have been duped into buying a fake watch. I also appreciate that Brozek has information on both vintage and contemporary Rolex watches – that fact and the price tag make the book very accessible to those with little prior exposure to Rolex. Yet the book also has significant content of both a more historical and technical nature, which will be of value to more seasoned collectors. Part III: Rolex Part Identification is particularly useful information. Here's some interior photos - the first is from the section which has the extremely useful tutorial on watch disassembly, followed by a photo from one of the many handy reference charts found in Brozek's book:
Perhaps the biggest failing of THE ROLEX REPORT is that it has not been updated since the 4th edition was published in 1999. And believe me, I ask Brozek in nearly every conversation I have with him, “so when is the next edition coming out?” In truth, Brozek is a victim of his own success, and like me, an insatiable workaholic. A visit to his website www.qualitytyme.net will reveal that John Brozek is, in addition to being an author, is also a dealer in vintage Rolex watches, and also sells Rolex related accessories. He also does public speaking/training( spotting fakes), and runs a very successful Rolex watch repair business.
That said, THE ROLEX REPORT is a book which I truly feel belongs in every Rolex watch collector’s library – if you’re going to buy only one book about Rolex, this really is the one to get. It’s high on utility, very accessible regardless of your level of Rolex knowledge, and an absolutely fascinating book to read. We can only hope that Brozek will soon carve out the time to do a 5th edition – I think I know someone who can help with the photos.
THE ROLEX REPORT can be purchased by clicking on this link directly from the Quality Tyme website.