Friday, July 2, 2010

RARE COLLECTION ~ VINTAGE WEST END PRINCESS ANNE GENTS WRISTWATCH






BRAND/JENAMA : WEST END BROAD ARROW PRINCESS ANNE LIMITED EDITION MILITARY TRENCH WATCH
MODEL : QUEEN ANNE - TRENCH WATCH
MOVEMENT/ENJIN :SWISS 17 JEWELS MANUAL WINDING
ORIGIN/BUATAN : SWISS
NO. SIRI/SERIAL NO. : W9382
CIRCA/TAHUN : 1940's
CASING/KEMASAN : SOLID STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT/PERGERAKAN : SWISS 17 JEWELS MANUAL MOVEMENT
DIAL: WHITE PORCELAIN
HANDS: BLUE METAL
MARKERS: LARGE & BOLD BLACK MILITARY ARABIC
MARKINGS/TANDA JENAMA : DIAL
BAND/TALI : BROWN LEATHER BAND
CROWN: ORIGINAL CROWN
LUGS SIZE: 18mm
BAND WIDTH: 18mm
LENS/CERMIN : ACRYLIC - VERY CLEAN
MEASUREMENT/UKURAN : 46mm WITH CROWN X 47mm LUG TO LUG
WATER RESISTANT: -
CONDITION/KONDISI : GOOD, WORKING AND KEEPING TIME
PRICE/HARGA: SOLD TO MR SHEIKH FROM PJ

BRIEF HISTORY OF WEST END WRISTWATCHES

West End was a good quality manufacturer that specialized in marketing to the Middle East and South Asia. There are earlier West End watches marked C.S. (I) for Civil Service in India

The West End Watch Company was created in 1886. The West End, a district of the centre of London, inspired its name to Mr. Arnold Charpié who was the Bombay representative of the Alcide Droz & Sons firm, a watch company established at Saint-Imier (Canton of Berne) in Switzerland.

In 1886, MM. Amstutz and Droz, the owner of Alcide Droz & Sons firm, began the exploitation of the trademark West End Watch Company in the Indian Market and developed the first waterproof pocket watch ever produced : "L'Impermeable" (nowadays exposed at the International Watchmaking Museum of La Chaux-de-Fonds).

During the First World War, a large task of British and Indian soldiers was sent from Bombay to the Persian Gulf to reach the Mesopotamia (the current Iraq). They received some West End Watches.

In 1917, West End Watch Company changed its name to Société des Montres West End SA and is registered in Geneva. At the same time the sub-brand Sowar was also registered.

In 1934, the Société des Montres West End SA was the first brand to introduce the Incabloc anti-shock system invented by Mr. Braunschweig.

In 1973, after several years of development, the company was finally sold, for lack of heirs, to his main supplier : "Aubry Brothers Ltd", established in Noirmont ( Jura) to keep open the Bombay West End Watch's office.

Since 2000 the workshops and the head centre of the company have been moved to Leytron , in Wallis. At the same time, the company was taken over by new shareholders and the management changed.

In 2005 West End Watch Company celebrated its 120th anniversary of uninterrupted presence in Asia with the introduction of its "Silk Road concept". This concept came from the fact the Silk Road crossed most of the regions where the brand possessed, and still possesses, counters.

Nowadays, West End Watch Company is active in Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates, in the Himalaya Range (in particular in Nepal and in Bhutan) and as well as in western half of China.

2010 A first in the Brands history, West End Watches are now exclusively distributed/sold in the USA and Canada by Empire Brands. EB is a distributor of leading products around the globe.

In 2011, West End Watch Company will celebrate its 125 years of uninterrupted activity so a commemorative book redrawing the history of the brand will be published in 2010 in association with the Centre Jurassien d’Archives et de Recherches Economiques.

The model still manufactured today is Sowar. In Hindu, Sowar means "warrior" and this name was selected in honor of Sir Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) because it's said that him and his soldiers wore some West End Watch Company watches during the war.

2 comments:

  1. Please ask your customer if he is willing to sell his princess West End and at what price. I would ask that since your company brokers the sell you look it over and oil, clean and test for accuracy before passed to me. Should he not want to ask please inquire as to what he would be willing to sell. Thank you Clark Pennell

    ReplyDelete
  2. Any buyer for west& watch co. Secundus ??

    Watch is in a very good running condition. Pl quote your offers.

    Regards

    R. Avasthy, India

    email : avasthy2002@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete