Watch: Antique Silver Half Hunter Wrist Watch 1916

The watch has a Swiss hand-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement is stamped Df&C for Dimier Freres & Cie, well-known importers and sellers of Swiss watches, with offices in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland and London. The Df&C mark was registered in 1901. They also worked under the brand names Selezi, Selex and Dimra. The watch measures 35mm diameter excluding the later winding crown and the fixed wire lugs. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside the screw-on case back for London 1916 together with the sponsor’s mark for George Stockwell. From 1 June 1907, Stockwells acted as assay agents, facilitating the import into Britain of foreign gold and silver items which had to be assayed and hallmarked in a UK assay office before being released for retail. There is also a brevet or patent number 71363 for a 1915 patent relating to the case design. The case is in good condition, just a little unevenness to the side but all very acceptable. The small button between the bottom lugs opens the hinged from cover. The glass lens is in lovely condition. The dial is in lovely condition with original hands, a subsidiary seconds dial and outer minute markers. The luminous detail has been removed from the hands and numbers. The watch comes on a period leather strap with silver buckle, hallmarked for London 1935. The watch comes in a vintage presentation box from a Bolton jeweller. 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.