29 May 2024
In praise of the ‘English style’ watch
3 minutes
Global Head of Bonhams Watches department, Jonathan Darracott, reveals the genius of English watchmaker Dr George Daniels
Watchmaker Dr George Daniels (August 19, 1926 – October 21,m2011) was considered to have been the finest horologist in the world – not only his lifetime but the last 250 years.
I was lucky enough to know him and I remember him selling his watches for £32,000 in the early 2000s and thinking ‘that’s a shame, it’s more than I can afford’! Now the watches sell for more the £500,000.
Dr. Daniels was most famous for inventing the Co-axial escapement, which revolutionised mechanical watchmaking. He struggled for 25 years to persuade Swiss watch brands that his revolutionary Co-Axial escapement, designed to run unaffected by the deterioration of its lubricant, was possibly the greatest advance in horology since Thomas Mudge invented the lever escapement in 1755.
 George Daniels. A very rare and fine 18K gold limited series manual wind instantaneous calendar wristwatch with power reserve indication, co-axial escapement and start stop mechanism. |
Eventually, he was proved right and Omega adopted the Co-Axial design introducing it into select models at the Basel Fair, in Switzerland, in 1999. To celebrate this deal Dr Daniels and his apprentice Roger Smith set about creating the Millennium wristwatch series. The Millennium was created over three years with delivery in 1999 ahead of the new millennium. This was the first collaboration between the two watchmakers and each watch was painstakingly hand-finished in what is considered an ‘English style’. With 48 examples made in yellow gold, it is difficult to estimate just how important these watches are. Therefore, Dr Daniels’ fine hand-finished watches are always sought after and at Bonhams we achieved a world record of £519,000 in 2021, in the June Fine Watches sale. This was an exceptional and rare George Daniels’ 18K gold limited series, automatic centre seconds wristwatch with co-axial escapement. It was the highest price ever paid for an English-made watch and since then that record has been broken and broken. If only I could have afforded the £32,000 back then. Dr Daniels’ apprentice Roger Smith also achieves exceptional prices – in December 2023, a Roger Smith 18K gold manual wind wristwatch with power reserve indication and co-axial |
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Roger Smith. A fine and exceptionally rare 18K gold manual wind wristwatch with power reserve indication and co-axial escapement |
George Daniels. An exceptional, fine and rare 18K gold Limited Series automatic centre seconds wristwatch with co-axial escapement. Sold for £519,000 inc. premium in 2021 |
If you want to buy one of these watches, you will do very well as they have probably moderated their prices slightly since the peak of 2022-2023.
Owning a George Daniels/Roger Smith watch gives a buyer a significant part of contemporary watchmaking history and watch collectors want to own and be part of this unique world. It catches their hearts and minds.
Starting a watch collection
Anyone interested in buying a valuable watch, or starting a collection, should go to our catalogues and compare them to other outlets. Bonham's is not a retailer; as an auctioneer there are no guarantees but you pay the market price, not an inflated price.
Look through the back catalogues, compare us to other outlets to quickly get a feel for the market. Potential bidders can come in to try on a watch. There are only a few exceptional cases where this is not possible.
It is good for a buyer to try on a watch to see if it suits them. I have done it myself and glad I did; I was convinced I would love a certain watch but when I tried it on it was not for me and I fell in love with another one!
It’s best to buy the watch and enjoy it – if you make a profit that’s a bonus. To me, watches are an emotion, they become part of the family, part of the person so it is important and enjoy them.
Auction dates
Bonhams next Watches and Wristwatches auctions will be held on May 22 and September 11, 2024. Weekly sales on June 27 and August 23, 2024
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Watch Insurance
When it comes to more expensive valuables, such as a luxury watch, a standard home insurance policy is unlikely to be suitable. Typically, there are low single article limits on jewellery and watches, so if the worst happens and a watch is stolen, in the event of a claim you may not be fully covered unless the item is specified. And many standard insurers won’t cover more than £20,000 of jewellery and watches in total. As a specialist broker we can help find policies with fewer restrictions and higher single article limits. Some of the insurers we work with will give a 25 even 50 per cent uplift for three years following a valuation, to protect policyholders from rising values.
To talk to us about your watch insurance please call 020 8256 4901 or email privateclients@howdeninsurance.co.uk