Silver Antique J.W. BENSON Pocket Watch - Hallmarked London 1937

Silver Antique J.W. BENSON Pocket Watch - Hallmarked London 1937

A high-quality J.W. Benson open-face pocket watch hallmarked for London 1937 and made in England. This pocket watch has just been cleaned and serviced by my watchmaker and so it is in excellent condition!  The antique J.W. Benson silver pocket watch is complete with a silver chain.

Dial: The white enamel dial has black Roman numerals, outer minute divisions and a subsidiary second’s dial at the six. The dial has blued hands.

Movement: The English Benson anchor lever movement has 17 jewels. The movement is signed: "J.W. Benson London" and numbered 297746. The movement is in great working condition however, we cannot guarantee the accuracy for an antique pocket watch. “The watch showed accuracy to within 15 seconds over 24 hours and ran in excess of 35 hours from one full wind.”

Case: The pocket watch lies in a silver open-face J.W.B. case with a smooth finish. The inner side of the case and the inner side of the cuvette are both hallmarked for London 1937, stamped J.W.B. and numbered: 101.

Signed: J.W. Benson – London 1937

Diameter: 48 mm – Weight: 92.4g

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J.W. BENSON HISTORY

J.W.Benson started up as a partnership between Samuel Suckley Benson and James William Benson. They traded as S.S. & J.W. Benson until 1855. From then on, James William continued the business under his name, J.W. Benson.   

J.W. Benson was a highly regarded London-based watch and clock-making company which traded between 1849 and 1973. They also produced fine jewellery, although are better known for their watches and clocks.

During the 19th century Benson was watchmaker to the Admiralty and also held a number of royal warrants including Queen Victoria in 1879, and the Prince of Wales.

Three grades of high quality watches were made, The Field, The Bank and The Ludgate, intially being made in key-wind and later as keyless models.

In 1878 James William Benson died aged 52, and his sons Alfred and Arthur continued the business. The company's premises were: Cornhill (1849-64), Ludgate Hill (1854-1937), 25 Old Bond Street (1872-3) and 28 Royal Exchange (1892-1937). Their original workshop was at 4-5 Horseshoe Court (at the rear of their Ludgate Hill premises) and in 1892 they became a limited company and moved to their new 'steam' factory at 38 Belle Sauvage Yard.

During W.W.I. the factory was bombed and from this point on the company no longer manufactured its own watches, but continued as a retailer. The timepieces, bearing the company name, used high quality movements supplied by Swiss manufacturers such as, Vertex and Longines.

Bensons continued until 1973 when the name was sold to Garrards, the Royal jewellers.