Thomas Russell Half Hunter Pocket Watch

A 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 such as the one we have here. It is working nicely and 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 was made in England by the Dennison Watch Case Company, a prolific supplier of cases to various watch manufacturers. The case is in good condition just the odd minor mark, nothing too serious at all. The front cover has a small lens surrounded by blue enamel filled Roman numerals – a little of the enamel has come out over the years.

The winding crown pushes in to open the front cover. Inside there is an acrylic lens which is in good condition. Originally the watch would have had a glass lens but these were often replaced with acrylic as a much more durable option.

The signed white enamel dial is in good condition and has blued steel hands (including the special half hunter hour hand so the time can be read even when the front cover is closed), a subsidiary seconds dial and an outer minute track.

The watch will be sent in a new presentation box.

Free worldwide shipping

ALL PRICES INCLUDE UK POSTAGE (excluding Northern Ireland).

Please contact us regarding international shipping.

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.

We are a VAT registered company and all purchases are covered by Consumer Regulations.

Credit / debit card purchases up to £300 can be made over the telephone on 01386 750238 or you can proceed via the 'Purchase Antique' button on each listing page. Alternatively, there is a Paypal payment link if you scroll down the page and we also accept bank transfers.

We are an on-line only business and do not have facilities for callers. Our offices are open from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

With regards to appraisals / valuations, we receive a huge number of information requests each day and unfortunately do not have the manpower to deal with them all individually. Our advice would be to contact a local auctioneer for a full appraisal.