Artox Hunter Pocket Watch, Made for Hultons Coal

An antique Artox full hunter pocket watch, retailed by Schierwater & Lloyd of Liverpool, made for Hulton Coal.

The watch has a Swiss stem-winding movement which is working nicely. Artox was one of the brand names used by Lesquereux & Cie of La Chaux de Fonds. The company is listed as being a manufacturer from 1915 through to 1928. The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover.

The watch itself measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The hunter case is gold filled. There are a few “pin prick” sized “dings” but overall acceptable for its age.

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

The white enamel dial has been personalised for Hulton Coals.

The Hulton family of Hulton lived and owned land in Lancashire for more than eight hundred years and in fact took their name from the three townships surrounding their Hulton Park Estate… Over, Middle and Little Hulton.

The Hulton family became very wealthy because of the coal which was under their estate. It was mined from the 1550s but its true value became apparent as industrialisation took hold in the late 18th / early 19th centuries. William Hulton inherited the estate in 1800 and was principal supporter of the railway which transported his coal to major northern towns. In fact George Stephenson stayed at Hulton Hall for three months while overseeing the railway’s construction.

In 1858, William Hulton founded the Hulton Colliery Company in partnership with Harwood Walcot Banner. Their partnership was dissolved ten years later and from 1868 onwards the company traded under the Hulton name.

By 1947, the Hulton coal empire could claim to be the largest in Lancashire, but it gradually diminished in the second half of the 20th century due to a nationwide fall in demand.

In the late 19th / early 20th centuries the Hulton family fortunes gradually declined. However, in 1902 William Wilbraham Blethyn Hulton was made a baronet for services to Lancashire. The second baronet, Sir William Rothwell Hulton, was the last patriarch to live in Hulton Hall before moving into an estate cottage towards the end of the First World War. Hulton Hall fell into a state of disrepair before being demolished in 1958.

There are many websites relating to the history of the Hulton family and photos of Hulton Hall on the internet so plenty of history to read up on.

The dial is also signed with the name of the original retailer, Schierwater & Lloyd. Schierwater & Lloyd were well known locally for an interesting 24 hour electric cuckoo clock which has been installed above their premises. It was illuminated at night and also had a small floodlight which came on when the cuckoo came out to mark the hour. Crowds could often be seen waiting for the clock to reach the hour so they could see the cuckoo.

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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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