Daniels - 35th Anniversary Limited Edition

Daniels - 35th Anniversary Limited Edition NEW

Dr. George Daniels C.B.E (1926 – 2011) is regarded by many as having been the greatest watchmaker of the last 250 years. In a career spanning more than 60 years he was responsible for not only single-handedly reviving the art of the handmade watch, but for inventing its single most important technological development… the revolutionary Daniels Co-axial escapement. So when he approached Roger W Smith, in 2009, to collaborate on a special Anniversary watch, it was a request which would be daunting for any master of watch making.
However, Roger Smith was uniquely qualified to take on such a collaboration, for he is the only watch maker in the world to have been apprenticed by and later, to have collaborated with, Dr Daniels.

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Nevertheless, the weight of responsibility was tremendous, especially with the added poignancy that this would also represent George Daniels’ final contribution to the world of horology.
“George approached me to fulfil his final ambition, which was to create a limited edition Daniels’ production watch. This was something that he had always wanted to do, something which would embody and celebrate his whole approach and philosophy” explains Roger Smith.
To understand the man and his approach is to understand the watches. A Daniels watch was always made entirely under one roof and every component is made from raw materials in the workshop, without the use of repetitive or automatic tools. The form of the watches is complete simplicity; there are no concessions to artificial styling, which gives Daniels’ watches a perfectly functional aesthetic that endures outside the passage of time and the vagaries of fashion.

The remit was to design and make a new Daniels wrist watch movement to celebrate the public’s affection forиthe mechanical timekeeper and the art of the hand made watch.

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George Daniels life’s work was focused on the improvement of the mechanical timekeeper and this mechanism is its conclusion. It is also the very first and only production Daniels wrist watch to have been designed and made in its entirety (*) within the shores of the Isle of Man.

 Daniels - Movement N1 Co-axial Escapement
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The escapement used in the mechanism is a piece of art in its own right, being the first new practical escapement for 250 years. Using the famed Daniels co-axial escapement, Roger took this to a new level in 2010 and developed his own single-wheel version which was approved by George Daniels due to its unique method of construction which achieves a higher level of accuracy. He makes it in its entirety within the confines of the Daniels and Roger W Smith studio.

Another Daniels’ feature is the Stop Start mechanism which restricts the power reserve by switching off the balance in its lower windings. The watch restarts when sufficient power has been restored to the mainspring allowing the switch to release, freeing the balance. This feature was used only once previously, in the Daniels fifteen second Remontoire pocket watch masterpiece completed in 1975.
In short, this unique approach to watch making has been symbolised by the use of the Isle of Man’s three legs of Mann on the movement’s base plate and further enforces the Isle of Man as a center of horological excellence.

 Daniels - Movement N1 Co-axial Escapement
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Technical Specifications

Movement

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 Design by George Daniels
Made in the Daniels and Roger W Smith studio – Isle of Man
Signed Daniels
Numbered 1 to 35
Escapement The single wheel Daniels Co-Axial as conceived by Roger Smith
Balance Free sprung
Vibrations/hour 18,000
Power Reserve 
In order to use the premium portion of the mainspring
the power reserve has been restricted to approximately 36 hours
Diameter 34.9 mm
Thickness 9.60 mm
Jewels 33
Case
Material 18K yellow gold
Crystal Sapphire
Case back Open/Sapphire
Diameter 40.0 mm
Thickness 12.4 mm (including the crystals)
Water Resistance 3 Atmospheres
Weight Hand made to approximately 48 grams
Technique 
The case has been hand fabricated using the Daniels method as
described in ‘Watchmaking’ by George Daniels.
Three strips of gold are rolled to the correct size and then bent to form a
rough circle. The rings are then individually gold soldered together and
driven under great pressure into a tapered former. The result is three
perfect circles of gold - one for the back, middle and front of the case.
The front and back rings are then machined to form the profiles and
male threads are cut onto each component. The lugs are hand soldered
onto the middle ring and then female threads are cut to take the back
and the front.
Made Isle of Man and London
Construction Time 2 weeks

Production Limited to 35 pieces


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