Pocket Watch : Silver J W Benson Pocket Watch, 1905

The watch has a 15-jewel stem-winding movement, identified as by Cyma, which is working nicely. The movement is signed J W Benson, the original retailer of the watch, and it is all protected by an inner hinged cover. The watch measures 49mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside the two hinged case backs for Birmingham 1905 with a case maker’s mark for Aaron Dennison. Dennisons was a Birmingham based case maker who supplied various watch makers with cases. The case is in good condition, just one small “ding” to the back, nothing too serious at all. The acrylic lens is in good condition. The dial is signed J W Benson, and it is in lovely condition, with original blued steel hands, a subsidiary seconds dial and outer minute markers. 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. The watch comes in a new presentation box. All prices include UK postage (excluding Northern Ireland). Please contact us before placing international orders so that we can advise of shipping prices and to see if customs regulations allow us to post watches to your country. The international buyer is responsible for paying any import duties and taxes. 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. We are a Vat registered company and all purchases are covered by Consumer Regulations. Credit / debit card purchases can be made over the telephone on 01386 750238 or you can proceed via the red 'Buy Now' button on each listing page. We are an on-line only business and do not have facilities for callers. Our offices are open from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 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.