Manx-based watchmaker surprised by world record sale

World renowned horologist Roger Smith has said the story behind a record-breaking pocket watch has "captured the imagination" of the public.

The seminal timepiece, which he finished in 1997 after five years of working on it, was sold for £3.8m ($4.9m) by auction house Phillips in New York on 10 June.

The watchmaker, who has been based on the Isle of Man for three decades, said the winning bid took him by surprise with initial estimates sitting closer to £1m.

He said the attention the piece had garnered was also down to “the story of how the watch was made”.

Mr Smith was taken on as the late watchmaking master George Daniels’ only apprentice, after creating the timepiece.

The previous record for a British watch at auction was Mr Daniels’ Space Traveller I watch, which sold for £3.62m in 2019.

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