Master Watchmakers of the Isle of Man
Isle of Man Post Office takes great pleasure in issuing this landmark set of stamps showcasing three remarkable master watchmakers who are inextricably linked to the Isle of Man.
New Collection Issue Date: 11.08.20
Dr Roger W Smith writes...
There is no doubt that through history watch and clockmakers from the British Isles have contributed the vast majority of inventions which allow us to keep time. In fact, more than 75% of all Watchmaking, inventions which make today's wristwatches function in the most convenient and accurate way are British and it's notable that the Isle of Man has played an important role in that discovery.
Watchmakers tend to fall into two categories: mechanical artists and innovators. The 'greats manage that rare combination of both; creating works of beauty and fine craftsmanship which also push the boundaries of timekeeping accuracy, functional performance, robustness and longevity forward. And some, like John Harwood (1893-1964) and Dr George Daniels (1926-2011). invent something which is utterly transformative.
For me, this level of invention is the holy grail for my journey as a watchmaker and it is the accomplishments of the likes of Harwood and Daniels which truly inspire my work.
I was fortunate to work with Dr George Daniels at his Riversdale workshop (near Ramsey) and this gave me first-hand experience of his undoubted genius.
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| Dr George Daniel’s CBE, DSc, FBHI, FSA, AHCI, |
Dr George Daniel’s CBE, DSc, FBHI, FSA, AHCI,
the famous breakthrough came with his invention of the co-axial escapement.
The escapement is the very heart of timekeeping and conventional designs, such as the 'Lever escapement”, had been refined over centuries. So, for George to invent a radical new escapement design as recently as 1974, which gave a fundamental improvement to timekeeping performance was simply staggering.
Although George was most famous for this invention, his contribution to the resurgence of mechanical watchmaking cannot be understated. Embarking on his journey to hand-build a watch, he found that virtually all the 34 trades required to build a watch had vanished from Britain. So, George took on the unprecedented challenge of teaching himself every single one of them. In so doing, he devised what is now known as The Daniels Method and, with the publication of his seminal book, “Watchmaking” he showed us the way.
Watchmakers have tended to follow that sadly typical British narrative of the lone inventor fighting the odds to create something new and ground-breaking, and often going unrewarded in their lifetime. George Daniels fought in isolation for years before Omega adopted his escapement in the mid-1990s, but received every possible accolade in later life - and deservedly so.
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| John Harwood |
however, was another great inventor who devised an incredible breakthrough from the Isle of Man, but was never fully recognised for his work. I doubt even many Manx people are aware of this exceptional watchmaker.
Like me, John Harwood was born in Bolton, but he settled on the Isle of Man after returning from the trenches of the First World War to work in a tiny Douglas workshop repairing wristwatches. It was here that he noticed the recurring problem was dust and moisture getting into watches via the exterior opening for the hand-winding mechanism. Harwood began to speculate whether it was possible for a watch to wind itself through the natural movement of being worn on a wrist.
After having made approximately 25,000 watches John Harwood sadly went out business in 1931 as a victim of the Great Depression. Rolex, having adopted the self-winding mechanism, survived and, although they recognised John Harwood's contribution in an advertisement in 1956, he virtually disappeared from the annals of watchmaking history.
It is therefore fitting that this fascinating stamp issue by the Isle of Man Post Office reminds us not just about John Harwood, but also the Isle of Man as a very special place in the pantheon of horological invention.
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| DR ROGER W SMITH OBE |
Roger Smith's horological career began, aged 16, at the Manchester School of Horology. He passed out top of his class and was awarded the British Horological Institute's, Bronze Medal. During the course, Dr George Daniels (1926-2011), was a visiting speaker and inspired Roger's ambition - to hand-make watches.
After eventually working alongside Dr Daniels to create the Millennium Series of watches, Roger established his own studio in the Isle of Man in 2001. His first creation was the Series 1 watch followed, in 2006, by his seminal Series 2.
In 2012, the British Horological Institute recognised Roger with the rarely-awarded Barrett Silver Medal. During 2013, Roger was invited by the Prime Minister, David Cameron to become an Ambassador for the GREAT Britain campaign, representing the best of British innovation, technology and creativity. To celebrate these values, Roger created the now iconic 'Great Britain' watch.
In 2015, Roger Smith announced the first range of authentic British watches for decades. The range comprises reimagined Series 1 and 2, newly developed Series 3 and 4 watches and the Series 5 (Open Dial) watch. All feature Roger's latest evolution of his single-wheel co-axial escapement.
In 2018, Roger was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for 'outstanding services to watchmaking and, in 2019, Birmingham City University awarded Roger an honorary doctorate in recognition of his advancements in horology.
In 2019, at the Designing Our Future'expo in New York City, Roger announced his collaboration with the Faculty of Science at Manchester Metropolitan University to develop the world's first mechanical watch using nano-materials. Named the 'GREAT Britain II, this watch represents the greatest single step forward for mechanical watch technology in the modern era.
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