Gents J W Benson Silver Wrist Watch, 1933

Gents J W Benson silver wrist watch, 1933.

A very stylish piece very much in the style of the famous Rolex Oyster. In 1927, Rolex claimed their watch was waterproof and to prove it, a young English swimmer called Mercedes Gleitze wore an Oyster when she swam the Channel. The swim lasted over ten hours but the watch was still in perfect working order upon completion. The watch we have here is incredibly similar in design and it does seem that other watch manufacturers wanted a share of this lucrative market.

This particular watch has a good quality 16-jewel hand-winding Cyma movement which is working nicely.

The watch measures 30mm wide excluding the winding crown and 30mm high excluding the lugs. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside the case back for Glasgow (import mark) 1933, together with an importer's mark for Schwob Frères & Co.

Schwob Frères & Co. registered its name in Switzerland in 1881 and the company also owned the Tavannes Watch Company. Tavannes was founded in 1891 by Henri Sandoz, but from 1892 on, Tavannes and Schwob Frères shared brand names and trademarks. Between them, the two firms registered a huge number of brand names and trademarks, one of the best known of which is the Cyma brand.

The case is in good condition for such an early piece, just minor surface marks but nothing too serious at all. The hinge has broken over the years but everything holds together very tightly and safely.

The inside of the case back also has the mark for François Borgel. He was a very successful inventor and business man, and his company became one of the most important watch case manufacturers of its time. He advertised his screw watch case, such as this example, as "imperméable", which means that he considered his screw case to be waterproof . Early adopters of the Borgel screw case included Longines and IWC. After François Borgel’s death in 1912, the business was carried on by his daughter Louisa. As with any vintage watch, however, we would not recommend that it is treated as still being waterproof or even water protected.

The lens is in lovely condition.

The signed dial is in very nice condition. Originally there would have been painted detail to the hands and the numbers but this has been removed over the years.

A new leather strap has been fitted.

The watch will be sent in a new presentation box.

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. JW Benson also supplied watches to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales.

As with many watch manufacturers, JW 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. From a collector’s point of view, both the British and Swiss made JW Benson movements are desirable and comparable in quality.

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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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