Silver J W Benson Full Hunter Pocket Watch

Silver J W Benson full hunter pocket watch.

J W Benson originated in 1847, founded by James William Benson and Samuel Suckley Benson. They were regarded as one of Victorian London’s most prestigious retail jewellers and they also manufactured their own watch movements. The company flourished and proudly boasted an elite client base made up of both British and European royalty and a selection of well heeled industrialists and business figures including the King of Siam, the King of Portugal, the King of Denmark, the Emperor of Japan, the Tsar of Russia and the King of Greece. J W Benson also supplied watches to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales.

As with many watch manufacturers, J W Benson embraced the newly introduced wristwatch during the first World War. Up until this point, the company was still manufacturing its own movements in the UK but after its factory at Belle Sauvage Yard was hit during a bombing raid in 1914, it purchased mechanisms from a number of quality movement producers in Switzerland, including Cyma as per the watch we have here.

The 15-jewel stem-winding movement, identified as by Cyma, is signed with the J W Benson name. It is all working nicely and is all protected by an inner hinged cover.

The watch measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside the three covers for London 1939 with a sponsor’s mark for J W Benson. The front of the case case is in lovely condition, the back of the watch has some unevenness.

The winding crown pushes in to open the front cover. Inside, there is an acrylic lens which is in good condition.

The signed dial is in lovely condition.

The watch comes in a new presentation box.

NB: Where we have specified a year of manufacture, this is based on hallmarks or serial numbers with published databases. The 'date of manufacture' given by SellingAntiques will vary slightly as the website only works to decades, not specific years.

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All of our watches are checked over before listing, and are also checked for accuracy which is usually within around +/- two to three minutes over 24 hours (unless otherwise stated), which is considered respectable for a vintage watch.

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