# British Made Watches.



## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

I called this thread British watches rather than English watches because I know our Scottish bretheren also made watches.









We had a watch making industry in the UK and at one time it lead the world in the keeping of time. We should remember this.









My earliest experience was my Smiths boys watch that was given to me when I was, I think, 11 years old. It had a two tone dial in cream and brown and I beat the hell out of it.
















I place a bid (ePray) on this watch but lost.























I would have loved to own this watch. It has a very English dial, is very handsome and probably a not a bad watch in real terms.

Let me see some of your British watches please, if you don't mind.


----------



## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Bump.


----------



## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

I only wish I had some British made watches to show but I don't (not including my few Timex and RLT's of course!).

There's a really nice Smiths W10 for sale somewhere else at the moment that I'd love but they want daft money for it







I have a Services, but it's a Swiss one.


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Scottish indeed, the factory in Dundee turned out millions of Timexes, then the company s**t on it's workers! I won't buy a modern Timex (had one it was C**p, hope Roger isn't reading







).

Anyway I've got a couple of cheap smiths and timexes that were british made as Stan knows I'm on a collecting hunt for the old cheap things at the moment and if they don't rise to silly money I'll buy most everything off ebay in the hope of saving at least a few for the future. I was outbidded @Â£180 for a smiths '70 military the other week it made Â£225 in the end! Much more sense to go for the cheap ones and but an RLT69 IMHO.

When I get a few more together I'll start a British made gallery.


----------



## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

I've a couple of Smiths in 9kt

One from 1925










a BR 40yr service presentation










and a mid size Thomas Russell


----------



## Guest (Jan 26, 2005)

Here's my 9ct Smiths deluxe from 1961 that was a long service award from E.M.I.

Nice chunky gold case.

Ignore the reflection of my camera in the dial.


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Love that thomas Russell Chris


----------



## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

pg tips said:


> Love that thomas Russell Chris
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Paul, Mrsb paid Â£12 at auction for it as a surprise 2 Christmases ago










Diamond, ain't she?


----------



## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

chrisb said:


> ←
> ​


Superb!


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Chris that's a
















1st Â£12 and 2nd the Mrs bought it.

Diamond ain't the word. Bloody marvel if you ask me!


----------



## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

I've never seen, or even heard of, a Thomas Russell watch. It looks superb.


----------



## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

dapper said:


> I've never seen, or even heard of, a Thomas Russell watch. It looks superb.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They were based in Church Street, Liverpool

and they used to make a lot of very good quality Pocket Watches, they had a Royal Warrant to Queen Victoria for the supply of pw's


----------



## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

chrisb said:


> dapper said:
> 
> 
> > I've never seen, or even heard of, a Thomas Russell watch. It looks superb.
> ...


Thanks, Chris.


----------



## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Great watches on show







.I`ve got a Newmark a Ingersol Triumph (says Made In Great Britain on the dial ) and my favourite a gold plated Smiths Imperial,19 jewel movement.Sorry still no photos, Bill (the tame computer wizz) couldn`t make it tonight







hopefully next week







.

I`ve seen a number of Newmarks for sale mostly with either pin pallet (like mine)

or 7 jewelled movements but also one which looked like the Orient King Diver but with a Swiss automatic movement and also an ex-military chronograph from the 70`s again with a Swiss movement.

Does anyone know anything about Newmark,who were they, where they made, and what happened to them?


----------



## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Thanks for sharing these great watches gentlemen.









Mac, I think Neil mentioned Newmark a while back. Does you watch say made in England on it? I think Newmark was an import company but I'm not sure about that.


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Newmark "52" missing it's seconds and scratched up a bit but running fine, pin pallet, has Made in England on the case back as well. 1 1/4" across exc crown and 1/2" thick just for old times sake!


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

the inside. Note above how the hands are slightly out (the hours hand is too far round for 20 past). This is because every time the movement comes out the dial falls off with the hands and cogs still attached and putting it back is an art in itself. thanks to Jase who gave me this.


----------



## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

That's lovley PG,

I've had a look on praybay just, there is a made in England Newmark and also a Swiss made one.

Confusing innit?


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Your welcome Paul....They allways look better in your photos than when I had them..


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

I think as a general rule of thumb the old british watch makers kept using british made movements up until they became too expensive to produce or the publis wanted to move to the perceived "better" swiss watch. The British then started putting swiss movements in their watches and swiss made on the dial, I've seen many a later SmithS with swiss made on the dial.

Eventually as with everything british they couldn't compete and folded!


----------



## Guest (Jan 27, 2005)

Stan said:


> Thanks for sharing these great watches gentlemen.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes I did Stan.

Newmark were fairly local to me, a Croydon company who used to assemble (or possibly buy in) watches and radios, small electronics and the like.

Years ago I knew an old chap who worked there on the electronic side.

I don't know whether the movements were made there or the whole watches just assembled.

Probably just made up with bought in parts and their name on the dial.


----------



## Fred (Feb 23, 2003)

A few more Made in GB, 3 NOS Timex and a Services Aintree, this one is a bit stop go, and in a real crap gilt case,fred


----------



## Fred (Feb 23, 2003)

Three more, The black case Smiths with the Goodyear logo is the one we were talking about a couple of week ago,the Ingesoll Triumph was my Dad's old Pit watch,and the little Black Timex was the one i wore for many years underground ,in the most unforgiving conditions imaginable for a watch and then dumped in a locker at shift end with heat up to 70 degrees from wet through, year after year, fred.


----------



## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

neil said:


> Stan said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for sharing these great watches gentlemen.
> ...


ThanksStan and Neil,the movement in my Newmark is identical to the one Pgtips showed but has made in England on it and is decorated with `Geneva` like stripes.The alloy case comes in two parts which can be opened with a thumbnail, the movement sits in the back part which comes up to the edge of the front plate the front of the case presses onto the back.The face is copper coloured with the black numerals in a cream ring and the seconds dial at 6.As I mentioned before I really like this watch I wanted to take for a clean up but my repairer said that as it was a pin pallet it wasn`t worth doing


----------



## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Fred,

Got some nice ones there.


----------



## Fred (Feb 23, 2003)

Thanks stan.


----------



## rodiow (Nov 6, 2004)

Heres a few of my Brits


----------



## davec (Dec 25, 2004)

rodiow said:


> Heres a few of my Brits
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great thread, really love seeing these great old UK watches.

Dying to land a Smith's W10 myself.

Were the "Everest" models, the top of the line Smiths?

It's very hard getting good info on this company.


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2005)

davec said:


> Great thread, really love seeing these great old UK watches.
> 
> Dying to land a Smith's W10 myself.
> 
> ...


Here's my Smiths Everest Dave.


----------



## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I found this whilest searching google;

The Anglo-Celtic Watch Co.Ltd,

"The "Tick-Tock"

The heritage of Smith/Ingersoll watches and clocks,Gurnos works,Ystradgynlais 1946-1980"

I hope it is of interest.


----------



## rodiow (Nov 6, 2004)

How about my Smiths Astral watch are we still talking brit ?


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2005)

Rod is that actually a Smiths movement in your Astral?

The reason I ask is that the Astrals I have had were marked "Smiths" on the dial.

I saw one like yours at an antique fair a couple of months back and wasn't sure whether it was a Smiths model or some other firm using the name "Astral".

It wasn't marked "made in England" either.

I would be interested to find out for sure.


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Ive seen one "astral" like that with a crown above the name and I'm sure it had a swiss movt. be interested at a look inside Rod.


----------



## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

I think the Astrals were unrelated to Smiths and did have Swiss movements.


----------



## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

There is a web site in England which specialises in British made Smiths watches it has a whole section of Smith Astrals so labled on the face all with Smith movements.


----------



## rodiow (Nov 6, 2004)

.....Well I never ! , all this time I thought I had a near new old stock Smiths Astral and when I had a look inside !!! .....a 7 jewel Japanese auto movement

oh dear ! still love the watch but it is clearly not what I thought it was ,and Smiths is just visable on the back of the strap just to add to the confusion


----------



## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Maybe they sold out to the Japanese as so many did.


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Japanese


----------



## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I have seen quite a few Smiths with Japanese movements advertised sad really









I still don`t understand why they wouldn`t let Roy put Smiths on the 69` wouldn`t have done them any harm IMHO


----------



## rodiow (Nov 6, 2004)

Japanese...yes that was a bit of a shock and only 7 jewels,.... It feels like a good quality watch from the outside honest!


----------



## Guest (Jan 31, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I have seen quite a few Smiths with Japanese movements advertised sad really
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Smiths as a company is still very much going, they just don't make watches anymore.


----------



## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Here's one I just found.

I must go through my Smiths box and get some sold.


----------



## davec (Dec 25, 2004)

neil said:


> davec said:
> 
> 
> > Great thread, really love seeing these great old UK watches.
> ...


Neil, that is a beauty! Top of the line indeed.


----------

