J W Benson 9ct Gold Mid-size Wrist Watch, 1949

J W Benson 9ct gold mid-size wrist watch, 1949.

The watch has a Swiss 17-jewel hand-winding movement which is working nicely.

The watch measures 28mm diameter excluding the winding crown and the lugs so it is classed as a mid-sized piece. The case is 9 carat gold and there are hallmarks inside the screw-on case back for London 1949. The case is in good condition, just light surface marks but nothing too serious.

The lens has light marks but is very acceptable.

The dial is signed by the original retailer of the watch, J W Benson, London. The dial is in its original finish with original hands, seconds sweep and outer minute markers. There is light marking across the dial.

The watch has a later leather strap.

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

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).

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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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