

To Dr Daniels, watches had historic, intellectual, technical, aesthetic, useful and amusing qualities and with this in mind there is perhaps no watch that embodies his mantra quite so much as the present lot.
Instantly recognisable, it is fair to say that Dr Daniels, in his creation of his Millennium wristwatch, produced a 20th Century horological icon. The dial is a perfect combination of form and function in the quintessential Daniels style, clearly influenced by the aesthetic of his pocket watches. Of course, as with any of his work, the beauty of this watch continues beneath the dial, as Roger Smith describes -
"... [the Millenium] houses some of the first co-axial movements off the Omega production line and is the culmination of a lifetime's work by George to convince a reluctant Swiss watch industry that his escapement was the future for mechanical timekeeping."
The co-axial escapement, which was initially devised by Dr Daniels in the mid 1970s, was an attempt by him to improve the longevity of the mechanical watch movement. This was achieved by creating a mechanism that ran virtually without sliding friction so that, unlike the lever escapement, the rate remained constant, regardless of the viscosity of a lubricant.
The present lot made in 1999 is one of only 47 yellow gold examples ever produced and, from the collection of the original owner, it comes complete with its original accoutrements including the letter from Daniels himself to the watch's proud recipient.