A J W Benson Open Faced Pocket Watch

A 1930s open faced pocket watch originally retailed by J W Benson of London.

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.

This particular watch has a Swiss Revue stem-winding movement, with 15 jewels, which is working nicely.

Prior to the first World War, Benson made their own movements but in 1914, their Belle Sauvage Yard was hit during a bombing raid. Subsequently, movements were purchased from a number of quality movement producers in Switzerland. From a collector’s point of view, both the British and Swiss made J W Benson movements are desirable and comparable in quality.

The watch itself measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is gold plated and was made in England by the Dennison Watch Case Company. The case is in good condition with just a little rubbing to the engine turned detail on the case back… the back is a screw-on fitting which is a good sign of quality.

The acrylic lens is in good condition.

The signed white enamel dial is in lovely condition.

The watch will be sent with 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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