Who Is George Daniels?
Tourbillon wristwatch by George Daniels / Credit: Hodinkee
We’ve discussed a number of watchmakers to date, from Breguet to Philippe Dufour; Berthoud and Daniel Roth. We’re truly lucky to live in a world where the art of horology is not yet lost, where the few great watchmakers still try their hand at novel, and perhaps eccentric, designs. There is one man that we have to thank for that, in particular for his work in the last 40 years…that man is George Daniels.
Born in North London in 1926, Daniels spent his youth in the city, tinkering with watches from an early age. His childhood, however, was reportedly not the best, as his father was often drunk and sometimes violent. Eventually, by 1944, he joined the British army; by then he was very much interested in watchmaking and started earning money on the side by doing repairs for some of his army buddies during WWII. Once back in England, he started working with a watchmaker and studying at a local college until he opened his own watch repair business. Despite his early interest in horology, George Daniels didn’t make his first watch until he was 40 years old. However, by 1960 he had started to ingratiate himself in collector’s circles, eventually starting to take orders for watches from his personal friends. What is widely considered to be Daniels’ most important achievement came in 1976 when he developed the co-axial escapement, often hailed as the most important horological invention of the last couple centuries (although his version was different than the much earlier version by Fasoldt).
George Daniels was never one who sought fame or fortune. As far as watchmaking goes, he was not exactly prolific, having only made 37 watches himself (not including prototypes) and a series of 50 watches with his former protégé, Roger Smith. Unlike many watchmakers who are perhaps known for their association to the brand they founded, he’s recognized purely for his talent and his horological achievements.