Moments ago at Sotheby’s London, George Daniels’ legendary `Space Travellers’ re-established its supreme status as the most valuable English watch in auction history, when it sold for £3,196,250 ($4,324,526), thereby beating the record of £1.3 million it set in 2012*. Made circa 1982, this 18k yellow-gold chronograph with Daniels’ independent double-wheel escapement is one of the celebrated British watchmaker’s most important timepieces. Four bidders competed for this masterpiece of horology which went to an anonymous buyer in the room after almost 10 minutes of suspense.

Named in honour of the American moon landing in 1969, the watch was described by Daniels as the kind of watch you would need on your package tour to Mars. This impressive, beautifully crafted watch is one of only two ever-made in this style and is unique in its inclusion of a chronograph. Featuring both mean-solar time and sidereal times (time reckoned from the motion of the earth relative to the distant stars, rather than with respect to the sun), the watch has a glazed case back showcasing its complex mechanism. Created to replace an early, much treasured version, which Daniels regrettably sold to a collector, this watch was of real personal significance and was often worn as a show piece by Daniels himself. The watch was offered in Sotheby’s London Fine Timepieces sale with an estimate of £1.2 – 1.8 million.

The George Daniels’ legendary `Space Travellers’ watch was the star lot of today’s Fine Timepieces auction which totalled £4,685,416 ($6,339,368), well above the pre-sale estimate (est. £2.3-3.3 million/ $3-4.5 million) and with 93.3% of the lots sold.

Daryn Schnipper, Senior Vice President and Chairman of the International Watch Division, said: “It is not possible to overstate the importance of George Daniels’ contribution to horology. Despite having only ever made a relatively small number of timepieces in his lifetime, Daniels’ work and his legacy continue to be critical to the craft of watchmaking. The landmark price achieved today is both a tribute to Daniels’ genius and the supreme quality of this watch. The `Space Travellers’ watch is no doubt one of Daniels’ finest timepieces and one can only be mesmerised by the beauty of its dial and the complexity and wonder of its movement.”

George Daniels (19 August 1926 – 21 October 2011) was a world-renowned horologist and the most important of the 20th Century. He was the only watchmaker ever to have received a CBE and a MBE for his services to horology, and was the inventor of the Daniels revolutionary ‘Co-Axial’ escapement developed during the 1970s, designed to run unaffected by the deterioration of its lubricant.

The previous auction record for an English watch was set by the same watch when it sold for £1,329,250/ $2,125,737 at Sotheby’s London on 6th November 2012.