The private collection of watchmaker Dr. George Daniels is to be sold by auction by Sotheby’s in November 2012. The collection, which reflects 50 years of collection, is rumored to be as magnificent as it is extensive. With 130 lots, the private collection is anticipated to raise more than 5 million sterling pounds to be placed in his Education Trust.
The private collection of watchmaker Dr. George Daniels is to be sold by auction by Sotheby’s in November 2012.
Jonathan Hills, the Director of Sotheby’s clock department, stated that Daniels possessed an “extraordinarily exciting collection”. The auction house is anticipating interest from all over the world due to the man’s reputation within horological circles.
George Daniels died in 2011. In his life, he was awared a CBE for horology services in 2010. Among his achievements includes the co-axical escapement. This watchmaking innovation earned him internal acclaim. The creation of the escapement is considered to be one of the most significant horological developments in the past 250 years.
The collection to be auctioned at Sotheby’s includes interesting pieces such as a cuckoo clock to clocks made by Joseph Knibb as far back as 1677. The 1677 clock is estimated to have a value of approximately 1 million sterling pounds. It will also include a Daniels Space watch, which was commemorative of the first moon landing.
During his career, Dr. Daniels created 37 different models of watch over a span of 60 years. All of his watches were created by hand from raw materials, a daunting task that required more than 30 different skillsets.
The auction will take place in London on November 6, 2012.
Like Haute Time? Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @hautetime.
Image: thewatchpress.com
