Independents

Roger Smith - BaselWorld 2012 Roger Smith is proudly continuing to carry the flame of George Daniels. Of modern English watchmaking at its finest. I met up with Roger at the fair and he had 2 watches to show. He was wearing a Daniels Anniversery Watch. Th...  

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NT

Wow. Just perfection. DJK

It's just..... glaaaaaaaaaaghhh drroooooooolllll.... glagghhhh.... reduced to groans and moans.......... Incredible photos. Thank you!

Amazing photos. Thank you. My OD Roger Smith remains my favorite watch in m collection... hands down. Although it differs from your the version depicted in your photo. Interesting to see the variation! OpC

When Roger showed me the watch last week, he said that his customer had specifically requested this much wider minute ring. It is noticeably thicker than this one: www.youtube.com I believe Roger said he had made four of these open dial Series 2s so far. ... 

The one on YouTube is mine.

I lust after that watch so much. I told Roger that the following story would be a little creepy.... Some nights when I can't sleep, I lie in bed watching watch videos until I fall asleep. This is one of my favorites, ergo watching videos of Roger in bed m... 

The best hommage is continuing the work of the master. Kudos to Roger Smith Francois

Amazing Piece of Art the OD ... the the previous variation looked more alive . Faisal

that his prices are about double what Dufour asked... and about 40% more than Kari for time only watches... I see them all in the same league. I think RS is maybe the most desirable new independent watch made, for my taste anyway... but wow is it pricey. ... 

Hi Mostel, One of the often misunderstood aspects of the watch business, is the degree to which our Independent watchmakers and micro brands farm out making of the parts, whether it be dials, cases, hands or varying movement parts. This is the reason for ... 

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as Roger has no watchmaking infrastructure to rely on like it exists in Switzerland. To produce a balance spring or a ruby in the UK is entirely different than producing the same part in 'watchmaking mainland'. But this is the way he has chosen to go, eve... 

I am aware that Roger's watches are created/manufactured differently. It is another reason I dream of owning one!! I love everything about them!! I was only remarking that the price is hard to swallow, despite all this. The remark about them being in the ... 

"he suggested that the premium we pay for an RS is also related to his having been Daniels' apprentice" I'd suggest he doesn't know either what Roger does or why, and Daniels method of watchmaking is almost polar opposite to the Swiss watch industrial met... 

having been in Basel for 5 days I can only say: how true, how true. But for me its not about how much money the brands spend, its about how they spend it. Testimonials, dinners, parties and gifts - all has to be financed by 'us' albeit this is in no way r... 

Mostel, Maybe I'm showing my bias... Have a great weekend, good topic, which I'm rather passionate about! Cheers, Tim

My friend in the Swiss watch industry was not minimizing RS by speaking of Daniels... he was maximizing RS. My friend owns many independent watches and loves RS, and he has a friend who just bought an RS. Very fortunate fellow!! I love talking about this ... 

On Roger's wrist and getting to examine it in Basel, I feel quite strongly about this subject and there isn't a lot of data to go on, and as the typical industry response is un-educated, I do my best to educate or re-educate on this subject! Great to hear... 

I corresponded with Roger years ago about one of his very first watches. He was a true gentleman, but though much less expensive than now, I was too poor then to place an order. I can only hope to one day own one of his creations. Along with Dufour, they ... 

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I can only dream of these watches..... J

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This nicely finished streamlined balance cock reminds me of those made by Voutilainen for quite a few of his Observatoires, not the first ones mind you as it only appeared about half way through the production run. Were Roger Smith and George Daniels infl... 

Hi Ztirual, Knowing how long Daniels has been making watches, I thought I'd check back into his catalog of pieces. He first used this style of cock in a watch he gave to is father in law in 1970, although it was flat & grained. He then further refined it ... 

Many thanks, Tim, for this interesting clarification. Well I was quite close in guessing, only I got it the wrong way round! :-( Off course, as you mention it, this proves that Daniels used this technique before Voutilainen, not that he was the one that f...