Antique Silver Hunter Pocket Watch for J W Benson

Antique silver hunter pocket watch.

The watch has a key-wound movement which is working nicely. The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover which is inscribed, ‘Watch maker by Warrant to the Queen, examined by J W Benson, 62 & 64 Ludgate Hill, London, Swiss Made’.

The watch measures 50mm diameter excluding the stem and the loop. The case is silver and there are Swiss hallmarks inside the two case backs together with the JWB mark for J W Benson.

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 in Switzerland. From a collector’s point of view, both the British and Swiss made J W Benson movements are desirable and comparable in quality.

The case has engine turned detail to both the front and back, and it is still nice and crisp. There is a cartouche to the front with nicely engraved initials.

The small button on top of the stem pushes in to open the front cover. Inside, there is an acrylic lens which is in lovely condition.

The dial has a couple of short faint hairline cracks towards the edge of the dial but not overly noticeable to the naked eye. Blued steel hands, a subsidiary seconds dial and an outer minute track.

The watch comes 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.