George Daniels

• gilt brass movement signed Geo. Daniels, London, sjd, two going-barrels engaging a common offset centre-pinion, 36 hour duration, Earnshaw's spring detent chronometer escapement mounted in a polished steel one-minute tourbillon carriage under a polished steel bridge, mono-metallic stainless steel four-arm balance with gold adjusting weights, overcoil balance spring with isochronal adjusting screw, retrograde hour hand mechanism • silver engine-turned dial, polished minutes chapter ring, quadrant for the retrograde hours, roman numerals, large interlaced subsidiary seconds ring, silver cartouche signed Daniels London, blued steel Daniels hands • engine-turned case with Daniels pendant and bow • case, dial and movement signed • hallmarked London 1970, case maker's mark GD • attached short gold graduated yellow gold double-link chain with gold and blued-steel double-ended key

George Daniels Retrospective Exhibition, Exhibit No.6, Sotheby's London, 18-23 July, 2006

Accompanied by a George Daniels presentation case.

This watch is a wonderful example of the early watches made by Dr. Daniels. After making his first watch in 1969 for Cecil Clutton, Dr. Daniels went on to produce a further seven of similar elegant design, all with slight variations. The Clutton watch had a pivoted detent whereas the subsequent watches had spring-detent chronometer escapements. It was not however a standard spring-detent escapement, Dr. Daniels had to improve upon it. The problem with a chronometer escapement is that it is not self-starting. Dr. Daniels altered the geometry of the escapement to ensure that the escape wheel is always unlocked when the balance is in the inert position which means that the Daniels chronometer escapement will always self-start, the watch simply appears to come alive.
These early watches were engraved with the initials of the intended recipient. 

Andrew Crisford, Introduction to The George Daniels Retrospective Exhibition, Sotheby's, p.12-13.