500 WATCHES

1905

By 1905, Buren were making 500 watches a day. Many of them for the parent company, but some were sold in Germany and the USA under the Buren name. Williamson got into trouble for incorporating too many Swiss made parts into the English watches he made in his factories in Coventry and Birmingham and after this he only made complete watches in Buren and imported them into UK as Swiss Made.

CH33933

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°33933

JULY 25, 1905, 7a.m.

Class 64 H. Williamson Ltd, in Büren (Switzerland).

The attached drawing, given by way of example, shows, in partial transverse section, an embodiment of the object of the invention which is a watch whose movement is provided with a circle, on which is hinged a bowl, this movement being housed and held in the middle of the case by means of the eccentric head of a screw, which forms a bolt.

The watch movement a, of which only the plates b and c, the pillars def and the dial g are represented, is equipped with a circle h, fixed to the plate c by screws ij on this circle is articulated, at j, a basin k which can be closed by notch on said circle h.

The movement, fitted with its circle, is housed in the caseband l of the case and held therein by means of the eccentric head m of a screw n, screwed into the plate &, this head being engaged in the caseband l, between the side o of the latter and a stud p fixed to the side q of said middle part.

MARKS

1907

Imported Swiss Buren watches are often seen with this sponsor's mark W.H.S in cameo within a rectangular shield with angled ends. The first punch with this mark was entered at the London Assay Office on 22 June 1907 by William Henry Sparrow, described as an importer of gold and silver watches, 11 Spencer Street, Birmingham.

Two punches were registered in June 1907 as a result of the change in the British law which required all imported gold and silver watch cases be assayed in a British assay office and marked with Import Hallmarks. Two additional punches with the same mark were registered on 4 July 1907, and two further punches with the same mark on 3 May 1909.

CH41932

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°41932

NOVEMBER 12, 1907, 7½a.m.

Class 71f H. Williamson Ltd, in Büren (Switzerland).

Watch movement with cap, comprising a device for fixing the cap to the movement, characterised by a lock in the form of a split ring.

With a section in the shape of a dovetail, forming a spring and fitted by friction in a corresponding recess made in the bottom of the cap, this lock having a recess for the passage of the head of a button which passes through the bottom of the cap through a hole made in the latter and which is fixed to the watch movement,

The said latch, which carries a screw to operate it and to serve as a stopper in its two extreme positions, presenting an inclined plane leading to said recess and arranged to be able to be engaged under the head of said button; Watch movement with cap according to claim 1, substantially as described with regard to the accompanying drawing.

CH43201

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°43201

JANUARY 31, 1908, 8a.m.

Class 71d H. Williamson Ltd, in Büren (Switzerland).

The attached drawing. given by way of example, represents in plan an embodiment of the subject of the invention. The balance shown has three curves, arms a which are curved. The balance wheel rim may or may not carry counterweight screws. Watch balance having three arms and characterised in that these arms are

CASE

1910

Philip Priestley records that Sparrow was possibly Manager of the Errington Watch Company Case Department, so it would make sense that when Errington was acquired by Williamson in 1895, Sparrow continued in charge of the manufacture of watch cases. Watch cases are seen with the W.H.S sponsor's mark with both English and Swiss movements.

Williamson watches are also often seen in cases made by Dennison, but I have one sterling silver example that was made by Clarke & Ward: Thomas Samuel Clarke and Alfred Ward, trading as Clarke & Ward, are recorded at 55 Kensington Road, Coventry. They entered their details and registered a punch mark at the London Assay Office on 20 June 1910, and at the Chester Assay Office as “silver watchcase makers” on 24 June 1910.