George Daniels-Horologist

The late George Daniels was undoubtedly the most famous horologist of recent times having had one of his escapements adopted by Omega.

Interested members may care to visit:

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/george-daniels-so-l12313/overview.html?cmp=L12313_1112_1_SALexample1_event_button1%3Cbr/%3E

for a chance to buy one of his time pieces. Hover momentarily over the thumbnail images when, in most instances, a bar should appear giving a guide price. Remember the buyer's premium and the subsequent VAT.

Please form an orderly queue, no undignified stampeding!

Edited By Niloch on 27/09/2012 20:41:51

Thanks for posting the link Niloch ... We can all dream !!

At least all the proceeds are destined to do good.

MichaelG.

P.S.

The BHI's tribute is available here.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/09/2012 22:20:53

Seems a pity that this collection is going to be split up. George Daniels truly was an interestng person. I suppose his workshop and equipment is going to be sold off too, now that the cars have gone (his cameras are going to be auctioned in Hong Kong soon).

GD is just one of the persons who talk about their lives and experiences on this website, I am in awe of what some of these people have done.

Ian

**LINK**

Edit.

This editor creates the links which I suppose helps with the 'text over adverts' problem, but its not very intelligent with the result that there is no clue as to what one is being linked to. In this case its a website called 'Web of Stories'.

PS

Normally I avoid clicking on unamed links as they have the look of spam!  

Edited By Ian Phillips on 27/09/2012 22:38:11

I don't think so, see here:**LINK**

>Well that's relief. At least it will be used and appreciated.

I have had a quick look at some of the Roger Smith videos and its good to see the techniques that previously I only read about.

In one video after filing the watch hands to shape he used 'coarse' (30 micron!) abrasive film to start polishing them.

Ian

Ian,

Try to get a look at George Daniels' book "Watchmaking"

MichaelG.

His book was reprinted recently and I bought a copy (read cover to cover twice but I still pick it and read chunks again). It was in the book that I learnt a lot about watchmaking engineering, the videos add to the knowledge.

Ian

Ian,

Apologies ... I misunderstood

MichaelG.

Michael

I must have lost the plot somewhere, because I can't work out what you misunderstood or why you apologised! Maybe its because I have spent too many hours today watching the Roger Smith and G Daniels videos, all absolutely fascinating.

Ian

Ian,

At the risk of labouring it ...

You mentioned the videos, and I posted "if you like those, then you will like this" ... only to find that you already had the book [and therefore probably know more than I had assumed].

MichaelG.

An update, for those who were wondering ...

The sale reached a total figure of £8,285,139

Ref: Horological Journal, December 2012, pp542-543

MichaelG.

I originally wondered what would happen to the proceeds of his estate as he had little if any family. Now I see that a significant amount of money has been bequeathed by him to set up an educational fund for the benefit of employed and self employed horologists to further their careers.

Ian

I missed this thread the first time round. Non horologists might be interested to know that he once started a little operation making wheel cutting engines that eventually morphed onto Chronos.

Bazyle

I have a feeling that Chronos was around before George was born. I seem to remember reading in a clockmaking book that they made clockmaking equipment when English watchmaking was in its heyday.

I might be wrong, it might not have been the same Chronos, but GD make no mention of it in his talks on this absolutely brilliant website. The link below is to the first of 32 (short) episodes.

http://www.webofstories.com/play/10679?o=MS

Ian

Edited By Ian Phillips on 30/11/2012 21:34:09

The originator of Chronos was Eliot Issacs it was he who designed the wheel cutting engine It was serialised in Clockmaker magazine @ 1991/2 I made one and still use it

Eliot sold Chronos off I think in the eighties

I always wondered why it was called Chronos but didn't seem to sell and specialised clock tools.

Neil

Thanks for the correction. I knew it was someone significant in Horology and got he wrong man.

Try again. Elliot Isaacs started it with a friend to sell the the wheel cutting engine. After a while he ducked out and in the early '80's it was just starting to branch out of purely horology and I bought my Hobbymat from them in their sort of backyard shop/shed.

I am not conversant with the Chronos wheel cutting engine but does it have something special about it? To my knowledge horologists have used, made, and bought machines for the purpose of making gears for hundreds of years.

Does anyone know when Eliot Issacs founded Chronos?

Ian

In the nineties you couldn't buy one anywhere

Whilst we are amongst 'clockies' does any one know how to remove the gunge left after a clock has been lierally soaked in wd40. It's like varnish I've tried soaking in washing soda and also Paraffin

Roy

According to the MDS for WD40 it is white spirit, light machine oil and a perfume. Perhaps the WD40 has attacked a previous coating ? Petrol might get it off but you do need to be careful...

Billy.