Gents J W Benson Tropical (Smiths) Wrist Watch

Gents J W Benson Tropical (Smiths) wrist watch.

The watch has a Smiths hand-winding movement. Smiths supplied J W Benson with their better movements and even then they were often improved upon, such as the example we have here with has an extra jewel bringing up to 16 jewels rather than the standard 15 jewels. The movement is signed J W Benson, Made in England, and it is working nicely.

The watch measures 32mm diameter excluding the winding crown and the lugs. The case has a plated bezel, an alloy centre and a stainless steel back, a combination often seen in the later 1940s / early 1950s. The case is in good condition, as is the lens.

The signed dial is in lovely original condition. Original hands (they would have had infill originally but this has been removed over the years).

A new leather strap has been fitted.

The watch comes in a J W Benson 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. J W Benson also supplied watches to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales.

As with many watch manufacturers, J W 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 including Smiths.

ALL PRICES INCLUDE UK POSTAGE (because of GPSR legislation, we no longer post items less than 100 years old to Europe, including 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.

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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.