Silver J W Benson Pocket Watch and Chain

Silver J W Benson pocket watch and chain.

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.

The watch has a stem-winding movement, identified as a Cyma movement, which is working nicely.

Up until the first World War, 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 such as Cyma and Revue.

The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover.

The watch measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is hallmarked for London 1936 and it has a case maker's mark for J W Benson. There is a slight unevenness to the hinged case back but other than that it is in good condition.

The watch glass is in good condition, just minor marking.

The signed dial is in good condition, just one tiny 1mm nibble to the edge which is mostly covered by the bezel on the front cover.

The watch comes with a single silver chain, 33cm long including the T-bar and the clasp. Each of the links has the lion silver mark. Also included is a silver and enamel medal for the 1926-27 billiard handicap competition (runner up). The chain and fob weigh 48g.

The watch and chain come in a new presentation box.

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.

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.