Silver Cyma Pocket Watch, J W Benson, 1933

Silver Cyma pocket watch, J W Benson, 1933.

The watch has a Swiss 15-jewel stem-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement has been identified as by Cyma.

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.

The movement is 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 two case backs for Birmingham 1933, with a case maker’s mark for Aaron Dennison. Dennisons was an English case manufacturer and supplier to various watch manufacturers. The case is in good condition, just a little unevenness to the back but nothing too serious.

To sum up, the movement was brought in from Switzerland, the case made within the UK (often to avoid expensive import duties) and the watch was assembled in the UK to be sold under the J W Benson name.

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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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