George Daniels wristwatch fetches record US$4m in Geneva

A RARE George Daniels timepiece sold at auction in Geneva for more than US$4 million, a record price for a wristwatch produced by a British maker.

After a three-minute bidding war that vaulted prices well past the pre-sale estimate of US$1 million, the Spring Case Tourbillon was won by a bidder in the room at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction on Saturday (Nov 5).

The final price, including fees paid to the auctioneer, Phillips in Association with Bacs and Russo, was 4,083,500 Swiss francs (S$5,778,946).

The yellow gold watch, which features a double-sided hinged case giving access to its tourbillon and calendar complications, was produced by George Daniels in 1992 and served as the famed British watchmaker’s personal watch for more than a decade.

Daniels, who died in 2011, produced fewer than 100 time pieces by hand in his studio on the Isle of Man. He is considered the father of modern independent watch makers and invented the co-axial escapement that is now found in many watches produced by Swatch Group’s Omega brand.

The sale represents the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch made by a British watchmaker. A George Daniels pocket watch, the Space Traveller, was sold by Sotheby’s London for US$4.6 million in 2019. BLOOMBERG