A c.1930 Swiss, Solid Silver Presentation Watch - British Importers marks for 'G.S.' (George Stockwell of London).

A cushion cased watch c.1929/30 (hallmarks run for two years), this Stockwell imported watch stands out from the crowd thanks to its beautiful gilt applied Arabic numerals and gilt hands! It has aged beautifully, with some wonderful vintage patination across the dial, though the gilt hands remain reflective and beautiful as they catch the light.

Having closely inspected the hallmarks, we can confidently say that this watch was imported into the UK by 'GS', which denotes Stockwell & Company, a British Assay Agent who were founded after a British law change in 1907 required all imported silver wristwatches to receive British hallmarks upon arrival. Many companies, Stockwell included, set up shop to provide an assaying service where Swiss watchmakers could not from so far away. The 'U' and cross in the case back denotes a London-registered watch, and the 'o' that the watch received its hallmark between 1929 & 1930. It is solid .925 Sterling silver. The hallmarks are also confirmed to be accurate as the watch is engraved on the case back for presentation purposes, '23.6.30'. See the full engraving below!

The sub-seconds register at 6:00 stand out not only due to it being gently 'sunk' into the main dial face, but also thanks to its intricate radial brushing. These styles of watches are amazing: though the majority were designed a decade before this piece with the battlefield in mind and saw relatively functional design briefs, this ornate cushion case has subtle intricacies in its design which live to tell the tale over 100 years later.

What's on offer

An unconventionally shaped .925 solid silver presentation watch, made in Switzerland, imported into the UK. Many watches imported from 1914-1918 were also in this style, and so it became known as the 'trench watch' amongst collectors. It must be said that this particular variant is guaranteed not to have seen military service as it was gifted a few years after the great war as the case back engraving suggests: 'S.B.H PUPPY SHOW 23.6.30 "MAGPIE" 2ND'. This suggests that it was either a presentation piece or the prize in a puppy show for a second place. So for such an expensive gift/prize we think it must have been an important show! Hopefully you can have some more fun doing your own research.