# Smiths ICI Presentation Wristwatch



## FOR VALOUR (May 13, 2010)

Hello,

This is my first visit and a great site, although I have a few vintage wristwatches I know very little about them. This watch is my latest find it has a name and present for 25 years service and dated 1940, I would like to know any information possible please.

Regards David.


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## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

Hi david, your watch find sounds fantastic , however i dont think anyone will be able to give you much help with the information '25 years service' and '1940' as unfortunalty there are probably a few hundred thousand watches that fall into this catagory .

* you might get a better response if you post a picture , so people can actually see what you are talking about :lol:


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi David

are you based near Leicester by chance?

If so I think I saw your watch last week!

If not, a neighbour called David showed me a Smiths Watch with an ICI inscription for 1940, which would be an incredible coincidence. That David said the watch was inscribed 1940 but was actually present in 1946/7, as no long service awards were presented during the war. IIRC he thought it had the military 17jewel hacking movement.


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## FOR VALOUR (May 13, 2010)

Hello,

Thank you for all your help and my apologies for the delay in responding this is the watch in question.

http://s1321.photobucket.com/user/stephen_bentley1/media/20131229_234344_zpsa676f651.jpg.html

http://s1321.photobucket.com/user/stephen_bentley1/media/20131229_2345002_zps766cc5a0.jpg.html


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## aroma (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi,

These silver cushion-cased watches were produced by Dennison (ref 12100, 12102 and derivatives) and were in production from around the early 1940s to Dennisons closure in 1967. ICI in particular, used this watch as their 'long service award' for employees - sometimes you find that dating from the hallmark does not agree with the inscription and that was due to ICI engraving a retrospective date - the employee would have served in the armed forces during the war years and that service considered 'employment' by ICI. So when the employee returned to ICI after the war he would sometimes find that his '25 years service' was overdue but ICI would inscribe the date of the 25 year anniversary and not the date of the presentation. ICI were still giving these away in 1966. Most of the time the movement is a Smiths 15J but sometimes a superior 16J was used (the movement was in production from 1947 to 1970).

A nice bit of history and what makes vintage watch collecting so interesting.

Cheers


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## wilhenri (Aug 26, 2013)

very interesting info aroma will tuck that away in the memory banks. :yes:


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I have my grandfather's retirement wrist watch from British Rail (London Midland Region) presented to him in 1964. It's also a Smith's - 15 jewels, made in England, in a 9-carat gold case and a rolled gold and steel expaning bracelet.

Smiths seem to have been the provider of retirement watches to many of the big corporations of the day - ICI, British Rail, British Leyland, etc. Your cushion case is very nice - a style I like.


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## Nancymc (Sep 8, 2020)

I have a Smith, I presentation watch dates 1945 for 25 years service, engraved to the recipient, it still works however I can't guarantee it's time keeping. I'm looking to sell this watch, please contact me if interested.


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