Antique Silver Longines Pocket Watch, Sir John Bennett

Antique silver Longines pocket watch, Sir John Bennett.

The watch has a Longines movement which is working nicely. The regulator carries the Longines logo. It is all protected by an inner cover which has the wording, ‘Maker to the Royal Observatory, John Bennett, 65 & 64 Cheapside, London’.

Sir John Bennett (1814 – 1897) was one of the most controversial characters in British horology and, in many aspects one of the most advanced. He greatly advocated the Swiss methods of manufacture where parts were interchangeable rather than being made for each individual watch. This put him in conflict with many of his colleagues. It was even said that the establishment of the British Horological Institute was designed to protect decent watchmakers from “new brooms” like Bennett.

The watch measures 41mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside both of the case backs for London 1884 with a sponsor’s mark for Arthur Baume of Baume & Co, importers of watches including Longines. The case is handsomely decorated on all sides, and it is in beautiful condition.

The glass lens is in lovely condition (some natural light reflection showing in the photos).

The signed dial has pin-set blued steel hands and an outer minute track. There are four hairlines radiating from the centre, two of which are difficult to see with the naked eye. Also a small hairline next to number 8 but again, very difficult to see with the naked eye.

The watch comes in a new presentation box.

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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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