Edward Hornby, a descendant of British industrialist and politician William Henry Hornby, was a lawyer and prominent collector of pocket watches, today remembered for a tourbillon pocket watch made for him by George Daniels in 1971. This same pocket watch was recently sold in Phillips’ New York Auction from December 11th to 12th for nearly $1.7 million USD.
The inside of the pocket watch / Credit: Phillips
George Daniels, instead, was one of the most famous watchmakers of his age and made this watch as part of a series of eight pocket watches he made in the late 1960s and early 1970s, his first own creations. The watches were nearly identical and most of them went to British collectors, the Edward Hornby one has “e.m.h.” engraved on the base plate and a longer tourbillon bridge compared to the other seven in the series. This chronometer is housed inside a 62 mm 18k gold case, has a 36-hour power reserve, and the dial is marked “Daniels London”. It was only the fourth watch ever made by Daniels – the fourth in the series – that he made especially for Hornby, including a handwritten note for him.
The two met through another collector interested in Daniels’ work, Cecil Clutton, who received the first watch in the series of tourbillon pocket watches Daniels made in 1969. According to Daniels, who spoke about Hornby when the Edward Hornby pocket watch was auctioned for the first time in 1999, Hornby started collecting watches back in the 1930s, with the two meeting in 1960 and eventually becoming friends. This led to Edward Hornby asking George Daniels to make a watch for him in 1970. When Edward Hornby sold his collection through Sotheby’s in 1978, he kept the tourbillon and another piece, selling the rest of his incredible collection that totalled 80 lots.
Catalogue cover for the Hornby Collection’s sale in 1978 / Credit: Breguet Blog
Previously the Edward Hornby Tourbillon pocket watch was sold in 1999 at Sotheby’s, again in 2006 at Sotheby’s – this time for almost 500,000 GBP, and most recent about a week ago by Phillips. This series of tourbillons by George Daniels are highly collectible timepieces, not only for the intimate story – an important part of George Daniels’ journey as a watchmaker, but more so for the outstanding quality. Every part, except for the balance spring in the crystal, was made by hand by George Daniels himself. It’s the work of a true master, commanding a price that reflects it, even in this market.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
“The Edward Hornby Collection of Rare and Important Watches.” Breguet Blog, October 19th, 2021, https://breguetblog.com/the-edward-hornby-collection-of-rare-and-important-watches/.
Jx, Su. “Highlights: George Daniels and Ralph Ellison at Phillips’ New York Auction.” Watches by SJX, December 7th, 2021, https://watchesbysjx.com/2021/12/george-daniels-hornby-watch-ralph-ellison-omega-speedmaster.html.
“Lot 102.” Phillips, https://www.phillips.com/detail/george-daniels/NY080121/102.
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