How Much Is A George Daniels Watch
Amice Golden
The "Daniels Method" refers to the conception, design and manufacture of a watch all by hand and this was the way George made all of his watches (excluding the crystal and hairspring).[4] Nearly all of these watches involved George expending over 2,500 man hours in the production of each watch with most watches each taking over a year to make.[5] Many commentators have referred to these as works of art and technological and horological master pieces.[6] In an industry where many parts of a watch are outsourced by the watchmaker to be manufactured or are now made using computers, George Daniels made watches that stand out as artistic and horological masterpieces.[5] George stated that "My first watch had to be accepted as a work of art in its own right, as an artificial object of original conception, constructed with integrity, that would intrigue, amuse and educate the human mind."[2] Daniels started making watches in 1967 because he was incensed by the hysterical adulations of the quartz watch by people who didn't really understand its failings.[4] But it was his creation of the co-axial escapement for which he is most remembered. The movement, which theoretically removed the need to add a lubricant, has been used by Omega in most of their collections since 1999 with the exception of the Speedmaster Moonwatch (until the release of the Speedmaster Moonwatch Caliber 3861 in 2021).[1]
Daniels was born in Sunderland in 1926. His mother was unmarried so she fled London and travelled north. After Daniels was born he and his mother returned to London, where she married Daniels' father.[6] In 1944, Daniels entered the British Army; he already had an interest in watches and did some repairs for army friends. On leaving the army in 1947 with a gratuity of 50, he bought some tools and got a job as a watch repairer. From studying horology at night classes, he became a Fellow of the British Horological Institute. After a decade of hard work, Daniels opened his first watch repair and cleaning shop in 1960 in London. Becoming interested in the works of the notable early 19th-century French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, Daniels soon became the 1960s' leading expert on Breguet and was often involved in advising on his work.[7][page needed]
His friend named Sam Clutton introduced Daniels to the upscale timepiece market and convinced him that he had a future in expensive handcrafted watches.[a] In 1969, Daniels constructed, for 2,000, his first pocket watch for Clutton. When his friend showed the piece to fellow collectors, it created great interest. Five years later, Daniels bought the watch back for 8,000. In 2012, it sold at auction in the United States for $285,000.[10]
Throughout his career, Daniels made signature timepieces for personally selected customers, stating "I never made watches for people if I didn't care for them."[11] The watches, which cost tens of thousands of pounds, took more than 2,500 hours to make. His signature was to give them clear and clean dials with subsidiary dials interwoven with the main chapter ring.[12]
During the Quartz Revolution and invention of much more accurate timepieces, George Daniels accepted a commission from American industrialist and watch collector Seth G. Atwood to create a timepiece that would fundamentally improve the performance of mechanical watches.[13] After much experimentation, Daniels had designed a new type of watch escapement by 1974. The mechanism, which was first unveiled in 1976 (see watch 10 below), the "Atwood") and known as the Daniels independent double wheeled escapement a further version which was patented in 1980, was later called the co-axial escapement[14] and the first named Daniels co-axial escapement watch was watch 17 below (the "Martin").
Its design avoided the need to add oil to the escapement because the mechanism operated with very low friction. Traditional escapements had to use lubricants but this eventually caused problems with accuracy as oil thickened over time. However, the co-axial escapement used radial friction instead of sliding friction, making lubricants theoretically unnecessary. In practice a small amount of lubrication is used on the impulse and locking surfaces of the pallet stones. Daniels' mechanism has since been described by some as the most important development in horology in the past 250 years.[15]
Although the horological industry was first introduced to the concept in 1976, Daniels' escapement was met with skepticism and lack of interest. It was not until the 1980s that Swatch Group chairman Nicolas Hayek adopted the concept, using it in his upmarket Omega brand. The company unveiled, to great acclaim, its first automatic watch using Daniels' coaxial escapement at the 1999 Basel Watch and Jewellery Fair.[16]
Daniels, who was a member of the Swiss Acadmie Horlogre des Crateurs Indpendants, continued to make watches well into later life. In total he created 25 handmade watches which were completely made by himself (23 pocket watches and 2 wristwatches) other than the crystal, the mainspring, the engraving of the dials and the hairspring. One pocket watch remains incomplete and is not included in this total number of pocket watches produced by George Daniels.[17]
2 wristwatches known as The White and The Blue which were private commissions by the same collector,[18][19] 56 wristwatches are believed to have been made as part of the Millenium series designed by and in collaboration with George Daniels (48 in yellow gold including one prototype and 8 white gold watches) [2] and 35 wristwatches (all under the name of and in collaboration with George Daniels but with brand new movements designed by Roger Smith) are believed to have been produced as part of the Anniversary series and were all made by independent watchmaker, Roger W. Smith.[20] None of the White or Blue wristwatches or the Millenium or Anniversary series wristwatches were actually made by George Daniels and indeed many of the Anniversary watches were made after George Daniels had died.[21]
This list below excludes other maker's watches (eg Patek, Rolex, Hamilton & Co, Urban Jurgensen, Omega) George adapted the mechanisms to enable the installation of a co-axial movement. Watches are listed in chronological order of their date of sale and delivery to the original purchaser or as otherwise stated where watches were originally retained by George Daniels. Purchasers of watches originally constructed and retained by George and subsequently sold in the 2012 Sotheby's auction of watches which were owned by George at the time of his death are not publicly known or recorded. Where there are inconsistencies in published information about the watches (eg case size) the below list relies on George's book "All in a Good Time Reflections of a Watchmaker" and the stated statistics and information in that book.[2] The order below is interesting in that the last watch designed and made by George was actually the Four Minute Tourbillon pocket watch (watch 25 below) in 1994 and not a wristwatch.[17]
1. Hallmarked, completed and sold in 1969 one minute two armed polished steel tourbillon carriage under a brass balance cock. 18K engine turned gold open face case with Daniels crescent pendant and bow. The Clutton is the only Daniels watch with a case of both gold and silver. A silver rib sits between two gold bands and the back of the case is also silver. Silver engine turned dial. Pivoted Earnshaw spring-detent chronometer escapement (specifically requested by Clutton). The smaller spiral spring to the left of the escape wheel is coiled around the detent arbor. Daniels considered the steel , two armed tourbillon carriage to be his least elegant. This component changed frequently on his watches. The screws with the unusual heads are called case screws and secure the plate to the case. Retrograde hour hand mechanism with quadrant for the retrograde hour hand together with polished minutes eccentric minute chapter ring, sector for hours with Roman chapters and large polished interlaced subsidiary ring for seconds. Short gold graduated, double link chain with gold and blued steel double ended key pocket watch which was key wound. Gilt brass construction with going barrels engaging a common, offset centre pinion. 36 hour duration. Mono metallic stainless steel four arm balance with gold eccentric adjusting weights. Overcoil temperature compensated balance spring with isochronal adjusting screw. Blued steel Daniels hands with arrow head hours hand. Originally sold to Cecil Clutton C.B.E. (c.c.) and known as "The Clutton". Signed Geo. Daniels London on the base plate with Daniels and London in two cartouches on either side at the bottom of the minutes chapter ring. Case maker's mark G.D. Diameter 62mm. Red leather, velvet lined fitted box and certificate.[17][2][6]
2. Hallmarked 1969, completed and sold in 1970 one minute two armed polished steel tourbillon carriage under a polished steel balance cock. 18k engine turned gold open face case with Daniels crescent pendant and bow. Silver engine turned dial. Earnshaw spring-detent chronometer escapement, retrograde hour hand mechanism with quadrant for the retrograde hour hand together with polished minutes eccentric minute chapter ring, sector for hours with Roman chapters and large polished interlaced subsidiary ring for seconds. Short gold graduated, double link chain with gold and blued steel double ended key pocket watch which was key wound. Gilt brass construction with going barrels engaging a common, offset centre pinion. 36 hour duration. Mono metallic stainless steel four arm balance with gold eccentric adjusting weights. Overcoil temperature compensated balance spring with isochronal adjusting screw. Blued steel Daniels hands with arrow head hours hand. Originally sold to Robert Marryat (r.a.m.) and known as "The Marryat". Signed Geo. Daniels London on the baseplate with Daniels and London in two cartouches on either side at the bottom of the minutes chapter ring. Case maker's mark G.D. Diameter 62mm. Red leather, velvet lined fitted box and certificate.[17][2][6]
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