George Daniels Watch Sells For $4Million

A timepiece by legendary mechanical watchmaker George Daniels fetched over $4 million under the hammer, the second-highest price ever achieved by an independent watchmaker.

The watch was estimated at one million Swiss francs but later sold to a bidder in the room at the Geneva Watch Auction for 4,083,500 Swiss francs ($4.125 million).

“This marks the highest price ever achieved for a wristwatch by a British maker but also the second-highest price achieved by an independent watchmaker — a true milestone in the market,” auctioneer Phillips said.

The double-dialled Spring Case Tourbillon in yellow gold, completed in 1992, was a unique watch, and one of two that Daniels made for his own use.

Daniels, who died in 2011 aged 85, is considered among the greats in the field of luxury mechanical watches.

He finished 27 unique watches during his career, outside of prototypes.

Daniels invented coaxial escapement, which is now used by Omega and was “the first practical new mechanical watch escapement to be launched in 250 years”, according to Omega’s parent company, The Swatch Group.

The auction “celebrated not only the pinnacle of independent watchmaking… but also attested of the incredible appetite of the watch community for rare, high quality collectible vintage and contemporary pieces that reflect horological history,” said head of sale Alexandre Ghotbi.