1920s Russells LTD Liverpool 9ct gold Dennison 31mm watch Enamel dial, serviced

Thomas Russell was a watchmaker in 1848 at 20 Slater Street, Liverpool. The company was handed over to his sons Thomas Robert Russell and Alfred Holgate Russell, in 1859. The firm was then names Thomas Russell & Sons. This partnership ended in 1870 and Thomas Robert continued as the proprietor of the Russell Watch and Chronometers manufactured at Cathedral works, 18 church street. In 1894 the company was known as Russell's LTD and had jewellers in Liverpool, Manchester and Llandudno. Alfred Russell continued the company of Thomas Russell & Sons and in 1880 the company was listed as watch and chronometer manufacturers, keyless lever movements and jewellery merchants, by an appointment to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh and the Admiralty. As with JW Benson, the Russell businesses were importers of Swiss lever movements, using a mix of Swiss and English made cases, to create watches for retail in the UK. They were less prolific than JW Benson, but still hold a special place as a retailer of good watches to the UK market. They helped to provide very good quality watches to the country at a time that some makers were focusing on the use of lesser cylindrical escapements. This example is very well preserved and exhibits all the hallmarks of the best designed, and most aesthetically pleasing watches from the period. A beautiful enamel dial with roman numerals, spade and whip style hands with thermally blued finish, gold onion crown, Dennison case with hinged back and a good quality Swiss lever movement.

The bezel is 9ct gold and is a push fit onto the main body of the case. It holds the crystal and is in good condition with a polished finish. There is light surface scratching on the case but no denting. The main body of the case also has a polished finish and is in very good condition. The hinge to the rear of the case is in good condition, opening to a 90-degree angle as it should.

The lugs are built into the centre section of the case. This is a very neat and well designed, thick case, as is expected for a Dennison case. The case back is 9ct gold and is hinged.

The inside of the case back has English hallmarks for 9ct gold, assayed at Birmingham assay office. The watch dates to 1926, with the date letter "B".

The watch was made by Dennison Watch Case co Ltd. It has the serial number 360679. The dial is in very good original condition.

It is an enamel dial which has no cracking, chips or hairline fractures. It is the beautifully preserved dial which makes this watch so impressive. The dial is layed out in a manner which exhibits all the hallmarks of the best designed, and most aesthetically pleasing enamel dials from the period. There is a clear railroad track around the outside of the dial, with triangle markers for the hours and diamond markers for 12, 3, 6, 9. The Roman numerals are neatly laid out for the hours.

The sub-second dial is in-set into the enamel dial, with a clear railroad track and 10 second graduations in Arabic numerals. The dial is signed simply "Russells LTD Liverpool" at 12 O'clock, with Swiss Made either side of the sub-second dial. The hands are original and are of classic 1920s Spade and Whip style. They are in good condition with no bending and minimal corrosion. They have the original thermally blued finish which has a good shine.

They are beautifully designed and make this watch stand out. The subtle blue tone catches in the light, whilst the enamel dial also has a subtle shine in the same light. The crown is original, fitted the crown tube well.

It is a beautiful gold onion crown which adds an eye-catching element to the circular polished case. The movement is a 15 jewel Swiss lever movement by DF & C (Dimier Freres & Cie). The movement has been recently serviced and is in good condition cosmetically, keeping acceptable time for a watch of this vintage. It has a daily gain of -30 seconds, with an amplitude of 270 degrees and a beat error of 0.7 m/s. Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below. The crystal is a plexiglass replacement which fits the profile of the watch very well. It is in perfect condition with no scratches. It is a beautiful gold onion crown which adds an eye catching element to the circular polished case. It is in good condition, with light surface scratching. The watch is on black leather strap for fixed lugs, fixed in place with metal tabs. The winding wheel is a replacement and despite being movement correct, when winding, the negative set can be slightly faulty, meaning the hands turn too. It is therefore best to wind the watch fully and then set the hands. Case width with crown: 34.3mm. Case length lug to lug: 34mm. This item is in the category "Jewellery & Watches\Watches, Parts & Accessories\Watches\Wristwatches". The seller is "boldtimepieces" and is located in this country: GB. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Department: Men, Unisex Adult
Watch Shape: Round
Case Material: Yellow Gold
Escapement Type: Lever
Movement: Mechanical (Manual)
Type: Wristwatch
Year Manufactured: 1920-1929
Vintage: Yes
Indices: Roman Numerals
Display: Analogue
Handedness: Right
Band/Strap: Two-Piece Strap
Lug Width: 19 mm
Brand: Russell LTD
Case Size: 31 mm
Bezel Type: Fixed
Number of Jewels: 15 Jewels
Strap Material: Leather
Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland
Style: Classic
Caseback: Solid
Case Thickness: 10 mm
Features: 12-Hour Dial, Small Second, Swiss Made, Swiss Movement
Dial Colour: White
Case Finish: Polished
With Original Box/Packaging: No
Bezel Colour: Gold
Closure: Buckle
Strap Colour: Black
Case Colour: Gold