George Daniels, London

To mark 35 years since the invention of the co-axial, Daniels determined to create a new series of wristwatches incorporating his patented escapement. However, unlike the Millennium wristwatches that used the Omega base calibre, the Anniversary would have an entirely new English wristwatch calibre designed and wholly made in Daniels’s Isle of Man workshop. The ‘Daniels Anniversary’ was to be a celebration of the handmade wristwatch and limited to just 35 pieces, marking the 35 years since the co-axial’s invention. Offered here is the very first wristwatch from the series which is prominently numbered 1 to the backplate. It was also the first wristwatch to have been designed and made in its entirety in the Isle of Man, and the Manx triskelion can be seen engraved to a special plaque beside the watch’s escapement. Made for the same collector who purchased the Daniels/Smith co-signed white gold millennium watch, the Anniversary No. 1 is offered here at auction for the very first time.