Antique 1930s Invar Pocket Watch

Antique 1930s Invar pocket watch.

The watch has a 15-jewel stem-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement is signed Invar.

The Invar Watch Company was founded in 1901 by Achille Hirsch in Le Chaux de Fonds, but the name was not registered until 1925. Mr. Hirsch was a rather prolific watch distributor around the turn of the century, who registered hundreds of trademarks, so to some degree this watch represents an attempt to profit from the new material, Invar.

Invar is an alloy which, when used in watches, makes them non-magnetic and good steady time keepers through a wide range of temperatures. Invar was invented in 1896 by Swiss scientist Charles Édouard Guillaume. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1920 for this discovery, which enabled improvements in scientific instruments.

The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover which has some scratching where it has been opened in the past.

The watch measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is 10ct gold filled and was made by the English watch case maker Dennisons of Birmingham, a prolific manufacturer and supplier to various watch makers. It was often more economical to import movements and case them in the UK, thus avoiding import tax on precious metals.

The glass lens is in good condition.

The dial is in lovely condition and has blued steel hands, a subsidiary seconds dial and outer minute markers.

The watch comes in a new presentation box.

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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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