Geneva Watch Days inevitably meant a busy week for the watch world, but it’s not quite over yet: Roger Smith has released Series Six, aka the next set of his extremely rare watches, this time featuring his travelling date aperture. In the spirit of travelling, this editorial won’t get straight down to the details, but rather take some time to head to the Isle of Man, inviting readers to explore the story behind these remarkable, entirely handmade timepieces. Why the detour, you ask? Because understanding the shared story of George Daniels and Roger Smith is essential if one is to comprehend the importance of these latest pieces within the always historical, ever-emotional world of watchmaking.
Nestled between Great Britain and Ireland, the Isle of Man is beloved for many reasons. Nature lovers flock to the island to admire craggy cliffs, lush green glens, and concealed coves. Music fans pay homage to its most famous band, the Bee Gees. Politicians and historians alike admire the Tynwald, the oldest continuous parliament in the world, established by the Vikings 1,000 years ago, yet in many ways one of the most progressive parliaments in history.
This small island in the British Isles – which is in fact a self-governing British crown dependency, and therefore not a part of the United Kingdom – holds folklore and tradition close to its heart. Its name derives from Manannán, the Celtic sea god. Feast days, dances and superstitions are an integral part of everyday life. The word ‘rat’, for example, is strictly forbidden on the Isle of Man, due to long-standing sailor’s tales of the word bringing bad luck; locals rather opt for ‘longtail’ or ‘ringie’. A black dog haunts a local castle; an ogre spirit torments a church in the north. The many small stone bridges across the island are called ‘fairy bridges’, and woe betide those who fail to respect the tradition of greeting the fairies when passing by.
Speaking of tradition, the Isle of Man was also the home of the late British watchmaker George Daniels, born into abject poverty in the grimy streets of 1920s London, and rising to become one of the greatest masters of traditional watchmaking our age has ever witnessed. He remains best known for his pioneering invention from 1974, the co-axial escapement, as well as the fact that every single component in his watches was made by hand.
Daniels famously took on only one apprentice in his lifetime: Roger Smith. Smith first came into contact with Daniels at the ripe age of 18, while in his second year of a three-year course at the Manchester School of Horology. Daniels had come to meet the students before delivering a lecture on the improvement of mechanical time-keeping to the local branch of the British Horological Institute. As Smith later recalled: ‘That evening, my eyes and mind were opened to an area of horology that I, and indeed no one else there, had had any insight into before – a new world that had been created entirely by George Daniels.’
After graduation, Smith spent a couple of years repairing watches, fitting batteries and repairing bracelets. Amidst the daily (and no doubt increasingly tedious) grind, his mind flitted back to Daniels. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to send him a letter, offering to work as his apprentice. The reply that came from Daniels was not entirely promising: no, he did not want to employ an apprentice, but would he like to come to the Isle of Man to talk about his future? After a visit to Daniels’ workshop and a trip to the pub for fish and chips, Daniels counselled Smith that with passion comes success, before dropping him at the airport in his 1954 Bentley Continental.
The two men stayed in contact over the coming years. Smith slowly but surely embarked on the long road to achieving handmade horological perfection. It was in 1997, and Daniels was deep in conversation with Omega regarding their integration of his co-axial escapement, which would appear commercially two years later in the form of the Omega De Ville Co-Axial Escapement Limited Edition. Nevertheless, Daniels took the time to meet with Smith, who presented him with his first truly handmade watch. The latter examined it carefully, from the tourbillon cage to the escape wheel. ‘Congratulations,’ he said. ‘You are now a watchmaker.’ The trip ended the same way as ever; dispatched to the airport, back to ordinary life.
Or was it? Smith received a phone call from Daniels soon after, proudly confirming that his escapement was indeed going to be used by Omega. Daniels was planning to mark his success with a small series of watches – say ten pieces – and he needed someone to assist him. The project would take around one year to complete. Smith moved to the Isle of Man to begin work with George Daniels on 2 January, 1998. Thus began Roger Smith’s journey as the successor to a legacy of independent British watchmaking – and in 2001, Roger Smith decided to open his own workshop, Roger W. Smith Ltd.
Since its founding, Roger W. Smith Ltd. has produced fewer than 200 timepieces. Of these painstakingly handcrafted watches, there have been only six series. Why so few, you ask? The answer is threefold. Firstly, every watch is made entirely by hand on the Isle of Man, following the meticulous ‘Daniels method’, in which each component is crafted from start to finish. Secondly, the complexity of Smith’s calibres – including innovations such as the travelling date aperture – demands extraordinary skill and time. Thirdly, during and after George Daniels’ life, Smith worked closely with his mentor: from the rectangular ‘Daniels London’ tourbillon watches that supported him as he set up his own workshop, to Daniels’ Anniversary series featuring a completely new English calibre, and finally to Smith’s ongoing preservation and restoration of Daniels’ workshops and watches entrusted to him.
All of this makes the launch of Roger Smith’s Series Six particularly significant. The new watch houses a British calibre that combines the travelling date complication with Smith’s latest version of the single-wheel co-axial escapement – itself a direct nod to Daniels’ legacy. Since 2005, every movement developed by Smith has been built around the co-axial escapement, which he has meticulously refined over the past two decades.
The fact that Smith’s movement is British is well worth dwelling upon. In 2013, the watchmaker from Bolton, Greater Manchester, was even selected for an international marketing campaign called ‘GREAT Britain’ to amplify the financial benefits of hosting the Olympic Games and boost growth across British industries. Smith represented Britain by creating a special time-only watch with a platinum case, silver dial bearing the Union Jack, and, of course, the late George Daniels’ co-axial escapement. It was a powerful reminder that Britain, too, is a country with a strong watchmaking history, from Thomas Mudge (inventor of the lever escapement) to George Daniels and his successor.
What’s more, it was this ‘GREAT Britain’ campaign watch that prompted Smith to commence with his creation of Series One, which was likewise a time-only watch, first delivered in 2018. Meanwhile, Series Two introduced the first production movement to have been specifically designed around the Daniels co-axial escapement, while offering hours, minutes, seconds, as well as a power reserve indicator. Series Three introduced a different complication option to Smith’s growing range of watches, with the model showcasing a retrograde calendar at the XII position and a symmetrical dial.
Series Four integrated hours, minutes and seconds with a triple calendar and moonphase. While working on the watch, Smith noted that the dominant date hand would often sit across key information on the dial for several days at a time, thus affecting legibility and going against his emphasis on clarity. It was at this point that Smith began to conceive the travelling date aperture that makes an appearance in Series Six.
Before we look at that though, the penultimate model, Series Five, is a masterpiece that well deserves a mention as, in his own words, it allowed him to ‘emphasise English craftsmanship at its finest, with its black polishing, bevelling and understated gilded and frosted finishes which are key attributes of fine British watchmaking.’ It was a new version of his Series Two (open dial edition), and laid focus upon showcasing the three-dimensional design and depth of his hand-made mechanisms.
That brings us to the Series Six and its travelling date aperture conceived back in 2014. This calibre enables the watch to display hours, minutes, and seconds on a floating central dial, while the date is indicated on a lower level by a travelling aperture. This stepped design, quintessential ‘Roger Smith’ in terms of its architecture, gives the dial the same three-dimensional appeal as the movement, while also offering up a more pared-back watch.
Before delving into the mechanics, it is worth pausing to consider the watch’s outward form. The Series Six is presented in a 40 mm case of either gold or platinum, its noble metal construction certified with a London hallmark – a small but important detail of authenticity as well as heritage. The exhibition caseback invites the wearer to admire the movement within, while the precious-metal buckle, engraved discreetly with ‘R.W. Smith’, offers a tactile reminder of its maker. The proportions are thoughtfully balanced: the 20 mm internal lug width flows naturally into the 18 mm buckle, is secured with a hand-stitched leather strap that creates the quintessential ‘British gentleman’ aesthetic. Pair it with some tortoiseshell glasses, look a little perplexed, and you might just be mistaken for Hugh Grant. Balance runs through the dial. Its floating background, rendered in bleached silver or gold, may feature hand engine-turned or engraved motifs, giving each piece a quietly distinctive character. The chapter rings, in matching silver or gold, offer a measured lustre that frames the dial’s depth. Hands in gold or flame-blued steel continue the heritage of fine English watchmaking, while the travelling date aperture is crafted in the same material. In changing light, these subtle details reveal themselves, rewarding the wearer with nuances that unfold over time.
Beneath the dial lies the mechanism that epitomises Smith’s philosophy of technical innovation married to traditional craft. At its heart is the Roger W. Smith single-wheel (Mk2) variant of the Daniels co-axial escapement, designed for enhanced efficiency and engineered to deliver service intervals far beyond accepted industry standards. The free-sprung balance beats at 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour), striking a balance between accuracy and mechanical longevity.
In keeping with the finest traditions of English horology, the movement is finished to an exacting standard. Frosted and gilded plates and bridges provide depth and texture, while the steel and goldwork are decorated with a harmonious blend of grained and black-polished finishes. Every jewel is secured in a gold chaton, each screw carefully flame-blued, adding both technical integrity and aesthetic nuance. The movement is proudly signed ‘R.W. Smith’ and bears the Isle of Man’s triskelion – featuring three armoured legs joined at the knee, radiating from a central point – as a proud and enduring symbol of its origin. With a 48-hour power reserve, the calibre is as practical as it is beautiful.
In the closing pages of George Daniels’ autobiography All in Good Time – from which several anecdotes in this article are drawn – Roger Smith contributes a brief chapter of his own, fittingly entitled Working with George. He concludes the chapter with the words: ‘George’s philosophy is extremely important and I will continue this through my own work, never compromising quality and individual hand-work for speed, mechanical intervention or ease of production. I promised George that I would make sure that he will never be forgotten, and although of course that would be impossible, I will be making sure that his legacy of the horological artist-craftsman – where one man is responsible for the conception and creation of a complete watch from start to finish – is never lost.’ Roger Smith’s Series Six is the British watchmaker’s latest testament to just that.
