George Daniels - A Man of Time

[mbwatch]

I don't see this video in the topic's past history to my surprise. Watching George Daniels work and listening to him philosophize is completely fascinating. Watching Daniels handle a fine handmade tourbillon and silver engine-turned dial without any finger coverings and quickly mash the minute hand onto his masterpiece with the back of his tweezers makes me dizzy.  (Hoping to prove the timekeeping superiority of a mechanical watch over an electronic one was a lofty goal)

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

9 hours ago, mbwatch said:

I don't see this video in the topic's past history to my surprise. Watching George Daniels work and listening to him philosophize is completely fascinating. Watching Daniels handle a fine handmade tourbillon and silver engine-turned dial without any finger coverings and quickly mash the minute hand onto his masterpiece with the back of his tweezers makes me dizzy.  (Hoping to prove the timekeeping superiority of a mechanical watch over an electronic one was a lofty goal)

 

Handwinding a mainspring . Made it look effortless. 

[spectre6000]

If we're being honest with ourselves, "modern" watchmaking has become quite precious.

[oldhippy]

I have said many times I could not get on with watch mainspring winders and that is the way I would fit a watch/pocket watch mainspring. As for fitting hands I did the same as George that is how my master did it. We never had the tools you have to day. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

I have said many times I could not get on with watch mainspring winders and that is the way I would fit a watch/pocket watch mainspring. As for fitting hands I did the same as George that is how my master did it. We never had the tools you have to day. 

More good old days OH , just think if the old boys had the tools back then.  How old ? Lol.  Almost all of mine are vintage , pre 60's, don't like much of anything modern, the quality never seems quite as good.

3 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

If we're being honest with ourselves, "modern" watchmaking has become quite precious.

I take it by that comment spectre you're suggesting in traditional American fashion that the current generation of watchmakers are "a bunch of pussies"

[oldhippy]

I don't have very many tools now. I sold most of them which included thousand of watch parts and clock parts, so many watch tools I couldn't count them. I still have one lathe with milling, clock mainspring winder loads of files clock Broaches brass rod, screwdrivers watch and clock, eyeglasses and loads of dumont tweezers, probably other stuff packed away in boxes.  

[mbwatch]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

that is the way I would fit a watch/pocket watch mainspring

I don't have pocket watch sized winders and the vintage prices keep going up so I have only ever wound them by hand. There is something really amazing seeing Daniels work with his hands in that way; very direct craftsmanship and the beauty is in the engineering and design rather than cleanroom perfection.

[RichardHarris123]

12 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

I don't have very many tools now. I sold most of them which included thousand of watch parts and clock parts, so many watch tools I couldn't count them. I still have one lathe with milling, clock mainspring winder loads of files clock Broaches brass rod, screwdrivers watch and clock, eyeglasses and loads of dumont tweezers, probably other stuff packed away in boxes.  

Don't forget, I'm your best friend OH. Hehe. 

[mbwatch]

3 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

"modern" watchmaking has become quite precious

I keep fast-forwarding through this to get to the part where George Daniels starts obsessing about 270° amplitude on his aliexpress timegrapher.

[Neverenoughwatches]

3 hours ago, oldhippy said:

I don't have very many tools now. I sold most of them which included thousand of watch parts and clock parts, so many watch tools I couldn't count them. I still have one lathe with milling, clock mainspring winder loads of files clock Broaches brass rod, screwdrivers watch and clock, eyeglasses and loads of dumont tweezers, probably other stuff packed away in boxes.  

Shame you had to give it up OH, good that you still advise but not the same as seeing you work on projects.

3 hours ago, mbwatch said:

I don't have pocket watch sized winders and the vintage prices keep going up so I have only ever wound them by hand. There is something really amazing seeing Daniels work with his hands in that way; very direct craftsmanship and the beauty is in the engineering and design rather than cleanroom perfection.

His skill was very clear, i could watch him wind that spring, pop the arbor in and lid on a 1000 times . Thanks for posting this mb

[mbwatch]

42 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

i could watch him wind that spring, pop the arbor in and lid

That whole operation winding half the mainspring, putting in the arbor, and snapping on the lid was one shot and took about 15sec in total (which is 1/4 the time I spend thinking about which way my spring goes into the barrel)

[spectre6000]

19 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I take it by that comment spectre you're suggesting in traditional American fashion that the current generation of watchmakers are "a bunch of pussies"

Lol! Ouch!

I was thinking more from the historical perspective. A lot of the watches that are lionized today were routinely handled quite crudely by today's standards. Finger cots, dedicated movement holders, timegraphers, spring winders with movement specific barrels, etc. Juxtapose all of that with pithwood and poking sticks! There's a high tech element to all this, but at the end of the day, nothing we do is all that new this side of the 17th century. Marketers have made mechanical watches out to be some esoteric thing, but it wasn't even that long ago they were just watches.

[oldhippy]

14 hours ago, mbwatch said:

That whole operation winding half the mainspring, putting in the arbor, and snapping on the lid was one shot and took about 15sec in total (which is 1/4 the time I spend thinking about which way my spring goes into the barrel)

With practise it is easy. 

[mbwatch]

16 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

Juxtapose all of that with pithwood and poking sticks!

And tossing parts into a box of sawdust.

[Neverenoughwatches]

19 hours ago, mbwatch said:

I keep fast-forwarding through this to get to the part where George Daniels starts obsessing about 270° amplitude on his aliexpress timegrapher.

i think i get too engrossed watching him use that milling copier that I must keep missing that clip even though I've watched this 3 times now. 

4 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

With practise it is easy. 

Come on OH have at it, getting digging out an old barrel and spring , we'll time ya, you've got to beat 15 seconds, we can allow a couple of seconds since it's been a while. 

7 minutes ago, mbwatch said:

And tossing parts into a box of sawdust.

 

27 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

Lol! Ouch!

I was thinking more from the historical perspective. A lot of the watches that are lionized today were routinely handled quite crudely by today's standards. Finger cots, dedicated movement holders, timegraphers, spring winders with movement specific barrels, etc. Juxtapose all of that with pithwood and poking sticks! There's a high tech element to all this, but at the end of the day, nothing we do is all that new this side of the 17th century. Marketers have made mechanical watches out to be some esoteric thing, but it wasn't even that long ago they were just watches.

I think i was pretty close then with " a bunch of pussies "     if you read his book he terms it " cork and nail " approach, in today's money lets just call it " latest timegrapher and 12 grand cleaning machine "

[oldhippy]

I always dried clock parts in sawdust. Many brass parts would be french chalked to prevent tarnish. 

[mikepilk]

There seemed to be a different attitude back then to finger cots and gloves!

I can't imagine being allowed to handle any of the exhibits of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers without wearing gloves. 

BTW the collection is now in the Science Museum London. https://www.clockmakers.org/museum-archive

Well worth a visit if you are in the area.