While writing this article two things are happening. First, I plan to have for lunch a Philly cheesesteak at a place in Brussels called “Elbow”. Second, I am thinking about how during the weekend I may finally have a chance to try on a pair of cowboy boots. Those will be leather boots, handmade genuine leather boots. I will have to bring my wife to let her judge whether it is something I can pull off. I hope I can. You may think these two things are meaningless, but they are not. At least not for me.
However, you opened this article not because of my lunch or weekend plans. You opened it because of watch-themed stamps. Moreover, not some random watch stamps, but those of the master watchmakers of the Isle of Man – George Daniels, Roger W. Smith, and John Harwood. Before writing these lines I visited the Isle of Man post office website to see whether the stamps were still available. They are not. Does it mean they are now a collector’s item? Yes, they are!
I have to thank Instagram for letting me know of these wonderful stamps. More precisely, the account of Roger W. Smith whom I follow. Since I believe it was he who shared the intent of the “Isle of Man Post Office to issue this landmark set of stamps showcasing three remarkable master watchmakers”. I saw the post. I clicked the link. I pressed to buy. After a couple of weeks, I received in my mailbox this wonderful set. Also, for almost a year after that, I kept getting in my mailbox stamp catalogs from the Isle of Man Post Office. I never bought anything else.
I don’t collect stamps. I have never been interested in collecting stamps. However, as a watch lover and enthusiast of everything watchmaking, you could not pass on the opportunity to have 24 stamps with some of the greatest watchmakers who have ever walked on the face of the planet. Just remember my excitement upon seeing for the first time in person watches made by the great George Daniels while in London. His autobiography is still my favorite of all time, and his book “Watchmaking” is an endeavor I have yet to concur. Therefore, having something more of the great man apart from his watches is a privilege.
Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, I will own an Omega wristwatch with a co-axial escapement. To those unfamiliar with the watch terminology, an escapement is “a mechanism consisting of an escape wheel and anchor, used in timepieces to provide periodic impulses to the balance” (Collins). Just think of that ticking sound whenever you put to your ear a mechanical timepiece, that ticking is made by an escapement.
You see, there are three types of escapements – the lever, the detent, and the co-axial. The lever escapement was invented in the 18th century, and it has been used ever since. Due to its inability to withstand shock which is mandatory for wristwatches, the detent escapement is not popular, although it can run frictionless thus not requiring much lubrication. Then comes the co-axial, invented by George Daniels, and modified to be industrialized by Omega and Roger W. Smith, which combines the advantages of the lever and the detent. Namely, it can absorb shock and is frictionless, thus requiring less maintenance and no lubrication on the impulse surfaces. If you are interested in learning more you can spare a couple of minutes to read this wonderful article by Mr Jack Forster. Or you can buy a book by George Daniels where he goes into more detail.
Would you like to see George Daniels and hear what he sounded like? I have just the YouTube video. Luckily, Roger W. Smith has a YouTube channel where he shared a 30-minute documentary with the great man. It is called “A Man of Time“. Ever since the man, the myth, and the legend Abraham-Louis Breguet, there was not a single major innovation in watchmaking. Until George Daniels decided to change that. Two hundred years after Breguet invented the tourbillon. If that is not a reason to own an Omega whether a Speedmaster or a Seamaster, or to spare a coffee break to watch the documentary then I do not know what is.
I am going on and on about Daniels and Smith, but not a single word about the third watchmaker – John Harwood. Probably most of you did not know who George Daniels was apart from my wife. Then an even bigger chunk did not know who Roger W. Smith was. Maybe my wife remembers. But I bet almost everyone does not know who John Harwood was let alone what he invented. I have a Tudor Black Bay 54 on my wrist. At home, I have a Roamer Skeleton. Both of these watches are self-winding. Whenever my wrist moves, the rotor in the watch winds the mainspring. This is the accomplishment of John Harwood.
You wonder how Harwood came up with this idea. As a side note, he invented the self-winding mechanism after coming back from the trenches of the First World War. “One day he observed children playing on a see-saw and this inspired his stroke of genius to use accumulated kinetic energy to tension the spring of a wristwatch”. Brilliant, is it not? The majority of wristwatches are self-winding. Thank you, John Harwood.
I will let you in on a little secret. One of my guilty pleasures is watching watch repair videos on YouTube. So much so that I recently became a Patreon to one such channel. The guy is from Germany, and he roughly every other month posts a video of repairing a damaged watch bought on eBay. The name of the channel and Patreon is “Red Dead Restoration”. It is relaxing to watch one work on a mechanical timepiece. All the tools and equipment, the procedures to be done to properly disassemble, fix, clean, and then reassemble a watch are not short of fascinating. When you look at the photo above you see the workbench of George Daniels. While sitting on that bench he created his watches from nothing. He invented the co-axial escapement while being by that bench. A watchmakers and repairers bench is a place in need of admiration. At least I admire it immensely.
When Roger W. Smith went to see George Daniels, he wanted to become a watchmaker. Daniels did not have an apprentice. He did not want one due to the volume of work. The first watch Roger made was bad. Daniels dismissed it, but Roger persisted. He went back home and after a year came back with a different timepiece. George asked him who made this part and who made that part, to which Roger replied: “I did”. In the end, George Daniels said to Roger: “Congratulations, you are a watchmaker.” Another, one of Roger’s most worn watches is a Rolex. A gift from his wife.
Roger W. Smith crafts each watch by hand. Every single component from the dial, to the case and to the movement is done by hand. One of the best independent watchmakers currently alive. Luckily, I have a stamp set with his creations and his portrait. I hope you enjoyed this article.
Kind regards,
Olaaf
P.S. I did go to have a Philly’s cheesesteak. It was delicious.
