George Daniels - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII Geneva Friday, November 3, 2023 | Phillips
  • 製造商: George Daniels
    年份: 2013
    機芯編號: Movement engraved JC01
    型號名稱: Anniversary Platinum N°1
    材料: Platinum
    機芯: Manual, co-axial escapement
    錶帶/ 錶鏈: Alligator
    錶扣: Platinum deployant buckle signed GD
    尺寸: 40mm Diameter
    簽名: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    配件: Accompanied by a fitted box, copy of a letter by George Daniels dated 17 Dec 2010 to the owner as well as a copy of a letter from Roger Smith confirming the specifications of the watch, product literature, leather wallet, key, setting pin and polishing cloth
    文學: George Daniels : A WatchMaker and His Art by Michael Clerizo

  • 圖錄文章

    For enthusiasts and collectors, any George Daniels timepiece is the pinnacle of watch collecting. Over the course of his lifetime, only 24 unique pocket watches were entirely hand made by him, in addition to two completely unique, hand‐made wristwatches. Only two serially-produced, limited edition models were developed under his leadership and bearing his signature – the George Daniels Millennium launched in 1998 with just over 50 examples made, and the George Daniels Anniversary watch launched in 2010, with just 47 examples to be completed.

    Widely considered the greatest watchmaker of the 20th century and a visionary icon of British watchmaking, Dr. George Daniels truly lived up to the definitions of determination, innovation and dedication. Born in 1926, Dr. Daniels stumbled upon his first watch at the age of 5 and discovered the interlocking wheels of the movement, “the centre of the universe” he says. A truly self-taught genius, Daniels never completed an apprenticeship, obtaining his knowledge from books and self-motivated restoration of various Abraham Louis Breguet timepieces after the war in 1947. George Daniels’ first horological exercise for himself was a Marine Chronometer which he made in 1953, followed by a series of 37 pocket and wrist watches, including the Four-Minute Tourbillon and his masterpiece, The Space Traveller pocket watch. He became a renowned expert on Breguet’s work and wrote the definitive book on the subject, The Art of Breguet.

    Relentless in pushing the boundaries as an individual and in the world of horology, Daniels challenged the quartz crisis in the late 1960s with his impeccable mastery of the 34 trades requisite in creating a watch entirely by hand. During this new dawn of quartz watches, Daniels’ innovation of his ground breaking, Co-axial escapement changed the landscape of horology as none other since Thomas Mudge’s invention of the lever escapement in 1755 - a time gap of 250 years.

    Lever escapements in conventional watchmaking require lubrication and have always had shortfalls with regards to long-term accuracy, whether by temperature, shock, or aging. The Co-axial escapement by Daniels, beginning from its nascence in 1975, draws on elements from the detent escapement that functions with a three pallet system, separating the locking function from the impulse, thus avoiding possible sliding friction and omitting the viscosity of lubricants once and for all. With rigorous testing and modification following almost twenty-five years of discussions with a multitude of Swiss brands, the Co-axial escapement was finally commercialized by Omega in 1999.

    In celebration of the 35th anniversary of this groundbreaking invention, George Daniels set out to produce 35 hand-made watches. Inspired by his famous tourbillon chronograph pocket watch created in 1994, Daniels and his protegé and successor Roger Smith set out to create a new British caliber that was to be produced by Roger W. Smith and finished to Daniels’ exacting standards and style.

    The Anniversary Watch is a concentrate of Daniels' genius and design ethos in a wristwatch. Says Daniels about this piece “My goal has always been to make watches which provide historical, technical, intellectual, aesthetic, amusing and useful qualities. This wristwatch is a culmination of over 40 years of watchmaking and unashamedly takes inspiration from several pieces in my body of work. The 18 carat gold case houses a completely new and original Daniels calibre which is fitted with a calendar and power reserve complication and, along with the minute, hour and seconds, provides all the information that a fine watch should.”

    Every element, of this watch, may it be the case, the dial, each single component has been crafted without a shred of compromise. The 40mm gold case sits perfectly on the wrist whereas the hand guilloché dial is a gem of design and craftsmanship. The movement tactfully balances traditional British looks and the groundbreaking co-axial escapement.

    Forty-seven George Daniels Anniversary watches would be produced over the years following its launch in 2010, including 35 examples in yellow gold, four examples in white gold, four examples in pink gold (to be completed), and four examples platinum – like the present lot.

    Only the 2nd ever platinum Anniversary to grace the auction market (the first was sold by Phillips New York in June 2022 for $2,389,500) and only one of 4 every made the present example bearing number JC01 made in 2013 is actually the very first platinum piece to have been produced, the other three were made n 2014, 2019 and 2021, as such is most certainly one of the rarest and most relevant British wristwatches ever made.

Σ23

George Daniels,極度重要,鉑金同軸腕錶,備動力儲存、日期顯示,限量發行4枚。附錶盒

2013
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

估價
CHF700,000 - 1,400,000 
€727,000-1,450,000
$769,000-1,540,000

成交價CHF1,143,000

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The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII

日內瓦拍賣 2023年11月3至4日