Isle of Man watchmaker honoured by Queen

First published: 04-02-2010

A watchmaker from the Isle of Man has been made a CBE for services to horology, the science of measuring time.

In a career spanning no less than 60 years, Dr George Daniels - now 83 years old - has created some of the most amazing developments in the world of watches from his home in Ramsey, the BBC reported.

The expert, who now serves as a world-renowned lecturer on the subject of timekeeping, is best-known for the co-axical escapement, which won him international recognition.

He told the Beeb: "In my career I wanted to make English watches the most superior, which they always were, and we have achieved that here on the Isle of Man.

"The watches we are producing on the island are the most technically advanced in the world."

By August 2007, Dr George Daniels had completed 37 watches, without including prototypes, and applied himself to the epic task of redesigning the mechanical watch escapement in order for it to compete with the quartz watch, which threatened its future back in the 1970s.