Master Watchmakers of the Isle of Man

Last Updated on: September 13, 2020

Master Watchmakers of the Isle of Man, This beautiful set of six stamps acknowledges the Isle of Man’s contribution to watchmaking by displaying a number of iconic timepieces alongside their inventors, symbolising the Island’s significant impact to the world of horology.

Each of these intricately detailed stamps feature a gold metallic ink to luxuriously highlight the sense of craftsman-made jewellery.

62p – John Harwood: This stamp displays John Harwood, inventor of the self-winding watch, utilising kinetic energy to produce the first self-winding wristwatch. Harwood, who is pictured next to his 1929 watch, ‘The Automatic’, produced this piece in his workshop on the Isle of Man though his innovations found homes with Fortis and Omega.

94p – George Daniels, “The Grand Complication”: George Daniels, CBE, DSc, FBHI, FSA, AHCI was an English horologist who was considered to be the best in the world during his lifetime. He was one of the few modern watchmakers who built complete watches by hand. But it was his creation of the coaxial escapement for which he is most remembered.

£1.17 – George Daniels, “Space Traveller”: Our second stamp introduces George Daniels working on a timepiece by hand, with his Space Traveller watch in the background. Acknowledged as one of Daniels’ finest works, the watch displayed sold for over £3 million in 2017. This hand built watch featured coaxial escapement, improving the performance of mechanical watches. A feature that is now found in many modern watches, such as those of Omega.

£1.40 – George Daniels, “The Blue”: The Blue was released as a four piece collection by Daniels and signifies an important place in the history of his works and horological career. The stamp shares imagery of both the watch and its production, displaying Daniels with his apprentice, Roger W. Smith.

£1.58 – Roger W. Smith, “The GREAT Britain”: This stamp pictures a close up image of one of Smith’s greatest creations. Named the ‘GREAT Britain II’, this watch represents the greatest single step forward for mechanical watch technology in the modern era. Smith notes that this watch features perhaps the most complex dial ever made by hand and a movement which is one-of-a-kind.

£2.37 – Roger W. Smith, “The GREAT Britain”: The final stamp pictures Roger W. Smith as he works meticulously on The GREAT Britain watch. Smith moved to the Isle of Man to work alongside Daniels as his apprentice, where his workshop remains today, situated in Ramsey, Isle of Man.

Country of Issue	Isle of Man
Issue Date	11th August 2020
Design	Isle of Man Advertising
Text	Dr Roger W Smith OBE
Stamp Size	52 x 40mm
Colours	4 plus metallic
Process	Offset Lithography
Perforations	13 per 2cms
Paper	110gms PVA Gummed
Number of Stamps	6
Format	Sheets of 12