Dr. George Daniels, CBE, is considered one of the giants in the modern history of watchmaking. Some eminent industry pundits even consider him the greatest in the field in the last couple of centuries. His impeccable skills and indomitable spirits significantly enhanced the craft of watchmaking.
His most famous invention was the Co-axial Escapement. It revolutionized the field of mechanical watchmaking. Globally renowned watch company, Omega, has been using the technology since the year 1999. George Daniels was one of the few experts who could efficiently craft a complete watch from scratch by hand.
During his career as a horologist, George Daniels made 27 unique watches (excluding the prototype models). Each of the watches was a manifestation of his hard work, imagination, curiosity, foresightedness and talent.
Daniels included features with a greater degree of precision in his watches. Two of those were Tourbillions. He was successfully able to invent and validate the Daniels Co-axial by 1974. Moreover, he was the first-ever watchmaker to master 32 of the 34 essential skills of watchmaking.
None of the watches Daniels made was meant to be crafted for fulfilling commercial objectives. The sole purpose was to enhance the art of mechanical timekeeping, maintaining high aesthetic standards. George Daniels’s innovative thinking and dedication added an unprecedented value to the expansive and eventful watchmaking arena.
In his lifetime, he won numerous prestigious awards. One of those was the British Horological Institute’s Gold Medal. He was also awarded the famous Tompion Medal for his corpus of work. Some of his premium creations are displayed at the British Museum and the Beyer Museum in Switzerland. George Daniels will always be regarded as a genius watchmaker.