2.1384 SMITHS 15J ‘ALL-BRITISH’ DENNISON CUPREL PRESENTATION POCKET WATCH, ENGLAND 1952

A very well-preserved English Smiths pocket watch from the early 1950s, combining a Smiths-made mechanical movement with a Dennison case made in England. The dated presentation engraving on the back gives this example an unusually clear piece of personal history: the watch was presented to Mr H. Bailey by the staff of Dittman & Malpas Ltd on 20 February 1952.

This is a particularly interesting example of post-war British watch production. The movement is the large 19-ligne Smiths B-series, generally known as calibre 600, manufactured by Smiths at Bishop’s Cleeve near Cheltenham. It is a traditional hand-wound movement with 15 jewels, subsidiary seconds and broad striped bridge finishing. Unlike many British-market watches that combined imported Swiss movements with locally made cases, this Smiths uses an English-made movement.

The case was produced by Dennison Watch Case Co. Ltd, one of the most important British specialist watch-case manufacturers of the 20th century. Dennison supplied cases for both British and Swiss watch companies. The inside of the case is marked CUPREL REGD / DENNISON WATCH CASE CO LTD / MADE IN ENGLAND / 2199. Together with the Smiths movement, this makes the watch a good example of genuinely British mechanical watch production.

The cream-coloured dial is very clean for its age, with tall black Roman numerals, an outer minute track and a subsidiary seconds register at 6 o’clock. The traditional blued steel hands give the watch a particularly classic English appearance.

Presentation history

The back is engraved: PRESENTED TO MR H. BAILEY BY THE STAFF OF DITTMAN & MALPAS LTD 20-2-52

Dittman & Malpas Ltd was a long-established English trading company associated with the Havant and Emsworth area, historically involved in the corn, grain and seed trade. The exact reason for the presentation is not recorded, although the wording “by the staff” suggests that the watch may have been given as a retirement, long-service or leaving gift.

This personal engraving is an important part of the watch rather than a later anonymous inscription: it provides an exact date and connects the piece with a traceable British company operating at the time.

About Smiths

Smiths is one of the most important names in British watchmaking, especially for collectors interested in genuinely English-made movements. The most desirable examples are those marked “Made in England”, reflecting production at the English factory and representing a distinctly British engineering tradition rather than imported Swiss watchmaking under an English name. That is exactly why movements like this remain so interesting today.

Specifications

• Brand: Smiths
• Country of manufacture: England
• Year: 1952
• Movement: Smiths 19-ligne B-series / generally known as calibre 600, 15 jewels
• Seconds: Subsidiary seconds at 6
• Case: Dennison Watch Case Co. Ltd, Cuprel
• Case marking: Made in England
• Case number: 2199
• Dial: Cream dial with black Roman numerals and minute track
• Hands: Blued steel
• Crystal: Vintage-style clear crystal
• Caseback: Presentation engraving dated 20 February 1952

Servicing and Warranty

• Fully serviced with disassembly in our Bristol shop
• Mechanics in full working order
• 12-month movement warranty
• Warranty Terms and Conditions
• No water resistance warranty