Antique Silver Half Hunter Pocket Watch, J W Benson

Antique silver half hunter pocket watch, J W Benson.

The watch has a stem-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement is signed The Bank, Best London Make, J W Benson, Ludgate Hill, London. The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover.

The watch measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside the three covers for London 1910, with an assay 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.

The case is in lovely condition. It has engine turned detail to both the front and back. The front cover has a central lens surrounded by dark blue enamel filled Roman numerals.

The winding crown pushes in to open the front cover.

Inside, there is a glass lens which is in lovely condition.

The dial is signed J W Benson, London. It has its original pin-set blued steel hands, including the special half hunter hour hand so that the time can be read when the front cover is closed. There are two patches of short hairlines, on numbers 5 and 11.

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.

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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.