Antique Thomas Russell Half Hunter Pocket Watch

An antique Thomas Russell half hunter pocket watch.

The company name of Thomas Russell & Son was established in 1859 when Thomas Russell (who was listed as a watchmaker as early as 1848) handed over the control of the business to Thomas Robert Russell and Alfred Holgate Russell. The company was very well respected and successful and they earned a Royal Warrant, ‘Makers to Queen Victoria’… they continued to benefit from this Warrant even after it ceased upon Victoria’s death in 1901 although its continued use was only tolerated for a short while.

After the partnership split, Thomas Russell continued as the proprietor of the Russell Watch & Chronometer Manufactury and Alfred Russell continued as Thomas Russell & Son. Thomas Russell & Son achieved a Royal Warrant as makers to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1881 they started importing watches from Switzerland.

This particular watch has a Swiss stem-winding movement which is working nicely. It is fully signed, including the motto Tempus Fugit (time flies). The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover.

The watch itself measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is gold plated and is the Russell model from the Illinois Watch Case Company. The front cover has a small lens surrounded by deep blue enamel filled Roman numerals. Overall the case is in good condition, just a couple of small “dings” to the front cover.

The winding crown pushes in to open the front cover. Inside there is a glass lens which is in good condition. The dial has a great look with the Thomas Russell and Tempus Fugit logo. Note the special hour hand for half hunter watches so that the time can be read when the front cover is closed, ie, you can distinguish between the hour and minute hands.

The watch will be sent 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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