Books on Horology

George Daniels is regarded as one of the greatest watchmakers of all time and his work has its deserved place in watchmaking history amongst the finest and most influential. One of his greatest accomplishments is known by millions around the world thanks to Omega, who feature his escapement in most of their watches (which they bought from him at a rather meager sum). Though his famous treatise on how to make watches ("Watchmaking") is among his most popular written works. The story goes that when young watchmakers would seek out his help or ask to be his apprentice, he would merely suggest to them that they read Watchmaking and all of their questions would be answered.

One such man was Roger Smith, who read the book, learned the lessons, and impressed Daniels so much that he took Smith as his first and only apprentice. You can read more about our interviews with Roger Smith on aBlogtoWatch.

Before discussing the book's content itself, I believe it is important to become acquainted a bit more closely with its author. First of all, the parallelism between watchmaking and Daniels' work speaks volumes. When one is merely an outsider, a spectator, he is destined to misunderstand, or rather not understand at all what is before his eyes. When it comes to watches, all inner workings, and hence the real values remain hidden, concealed by their complexity. Similarly, George Daniels clearly appears nothing less than what those who knew him claim he always had been. A modest, peaceful, warmhearted man, even though to many, he had a reputation as being direct and stubborn. But at the same time, the thoughts and plans he had were those of a genius – something others could not tell after first sight, and likely could not conceive after the thousandth.