Antique J W Benson Full Hunter Pocket Watch

Antique J W Benson full hunter pocket watch.

The watch has a good quality 17-jewel Swiss stem-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement has screw-set jewels in gold settings and a Breguet hairspring for enhanced precision. The movement has been identified as by Revue Thommen. The movement is signed with the name of the original retailer of the watch, J W Benson, London.

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 and Revue Thommen.

The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover which has a small indentation.

The watch measures 50mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is the gold plated Star model from the English watch case maker Aaron Dennison. There is a little unevenness to the front and back of the watch but not too detrimental at all.

The winding crown pushes in to open the front cover. Inside, there is an acrylic lens which is in good condition.

The signed dial is in lovely condition, just a shade or two of darkening to the subsidiary seconds dial. Blued steel hands and outer minute markers.

The watch comes in a J W Benson thick cardboard box, designed for sending the watch in for servicing and, as per the instruction on the front of the box, there is a previous owner’s name and address inside the lid. Also included is a J W Benson compliment slip.

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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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