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SUPERB W. WATSON & SONS ANTIQUE BRASS EDINBURGH H STUDENTS
RESEARCH MICROSCOPE WITH ORIGINAL DOVETAILED MAHOGANY CASE SN-8910 -
1906
You are invited to purchase a superb antique brass Edinburgh
Model H Students Research Microscope by William Watson & Sons of
London, England. This microscope includes a very nice mechanical stage
and a very elaborate mechanical substage assembly. It also comes in its
original dovetailed Mahogany wood cabinet with working lock and key.
The manufacturer of this elegant instrument is engraved in bold
block letters on the back of the tripod foot, W. WATSON & SONS, 313
HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON. Also, of interest is the fact that this
particular microscope was evidently manufactured at or distributed from
the Birmingham Branch of the firm, as is indicated on a supplemental
rectangular Japanned brass bar attached to the back of the tripod foot
as follows, BRANCH, 2 EASY ROW, BIRMINGHAM (See composite image that
shows these features).
Wm. Watson first introduced the Edinburgh Model H Student
Microscope on the 29th of November 1887 (Stand No. 2018) and continued
to produce this very exquisite and popular model on through several
decades into the 20th Century. There is a serial number engraved at
the base of the rear leg of the instrument, 8910 (see close-up image).
This dates the instrument to the year 1906, just two years before the
firm was incorporated under British law and the name of the firm was
changed to W. Watson & Sons, Ltd.
Note: For more details on the history of the Watson firm, please see below.
Accompanying this description are several extracts from my personal library copy of the 28th Edition of the Catalogue Of Microscopes And Accessories
Manufactured And Supplied By W. Watson & Sons, Ltd. Opticians
published in the year 1921 including a full-page image of the Model H
or Stand H. Also included is an image of the mechanical stage and a
close-up cut away diagram of the fine focus mechanism as found on this
model microscope. This model microscope was designed especially for
bacteriological research and general laboratory work and was especially
targeted for use by medical students.
In addition, it is to be noted that this model Watson instrument
is featured and illustrated on page 79 of Gerard LE. Turners book
entitled, Collecting Microscopes.
All of these extracts from the Watson Catalogue and the
reference to Turner are included for comparison with the instrument
featured here. This model is one of the premier microscopes from W.
Watson & Sons and is overshadowed only by the Royal and the massive
Van Heurck microscope models that were also produced by this firm. As
such, it will be a most welcome addition to any serious antique
microscope collection and is certain to become a centerpiece of that
collection.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
A heavy solid Japanned brass tripod base of monolithic
construction rises to a trunnion joint that captures the limb and the
rest of the instrument. The tripod foot spreads to a full 7 inches and
so is very firm in any position. The trunnion joint allows the
instrument to be adjusted to any angle from the vertical to the
horizontal for the comfortable viewing of specimen slides or to
facilitate microphotography.
The instrument has a large fixed main stage with dovetail
grooves on either side. Sliding over the dovetail rails is a mechanical
stage assembly that features dual milled heads that control both the x
and y motions of the stage from the right side of the instrument. The
stage plates themselves are so arranged that the top of the substage
condenser is never fouled by the stage at any point in its travel.
NOTES: The mechanical stage on this instrument lacks the sliding slide
bar and the scales and verniers under the stage plates, but is otherwise
the same as that shown in the accompanying stage diagram from the
Watson catalogue.
The limb of this instrument is of unitized construction and
extends both above and below the trunnion joint. Below the joint and
the fixed stage, the lower limb supports a substage assembly that has
rackwork focusing and centering screws for the Abbe condenser. This
assembly also includes an iris diaphragm that is operated with a lever
that extends to the front of the unit. It also includes a swing-out
filter holder. Also extending from the lower end of the limb is a
cylindrical brass bar that can be moved to the right or left under the
stage or even above the stage to provide incidental illumination (see
image that shows this latter feature). This bar accommodates a 50mm
diameter plano-concave mirror assembly on a sliding bar that provides
illumination to the stage.
The upper portion of the limb of
the instrument supports the body tube as well as the rackwork and the
coarse and fine focus mechanisms.
The brass body tube of this instrument is a beefy 1.5 inches in
diameter and includes a brass drawtube, which is engraved with various
tube settings from 150 to 250mm, along with a brass ocular holder at the
top of the drawtube. A set of two (2) eyepieces accompany this
instrument, a Busch 6x ocular and another ocular by Watson marked with
the letter A and the number 4. The lower end of the body tube is
equipped with a triple position revolving objective nosepiece equipped
with the following objectives: A Watson 2/3-Inch 0.28 N.A. low power
objective, a Watson 1/6 Inch 0.74 N.A. medium power objective, and an E.
Leitz Wetzlar 1/12-Inch Homogenous Oel (Oil) Immersion high power
objective. Each of the objectives comes with a brass canister for
storage of the objectives in a wood rack inside the wood case when not
in use on the microscope. The eyepieces too are stored in a wood rack
inside the Mahogany wood case that accompanies the instrument.
Coarse focus is by rack and pinion. Fine focus is by means of a
through-the-limb lever type system that is illustrated in the
accompanying cut-away diagram. A finely milled screw actuated by a
micrometer knob atop the limb acts on a dual spring loaded lever with
the fulcrum of the lever very close to the body tube resulting in very
slow motion communicated to the body tube. The movement imparted by one
complete turn of the milled head is only 1/300 of an inch, which is
ideal for high-power work for which this instrument was especially
designed.
When the optical tube is racked all the way in and the
microscope stands vertical with the drawtube fully nested within the
body tube, the height of the microscope is about 12.5 inches from the
base of the tripod foot to the top of the eyepiece. When the optical
tube is racked all the way out and drawtube is fully extended all the
way out, the microscope stands 17.5 inches tall making for a relatively
tall microscope (see the attached image that compares the height of this
microscope to a modern microscope the Watson is most certainly an
impressive and quite large instrument). The microscope weighs about 8
pounds.
Accompanying the microscope is a very nice dovetailed Mahogany
wood cabinet with a wood and brass carrying handle and a working lock
with key. Inside the case is a wood rack that holds the eyepieces and
the objective lenses in their brass canisters. On the inside of the
door of the case is a metal plaque that reads, W. Watson & Glover,
Opticians, 2, Easy Row, Birmingham (see close-up image). The exterior
dimensions of the wood case are 13.5 inches tall, 9 7/8 inches wide and
8.25 inches deep. The microscope in its wood case weighs about 13
pounds.
STATEMENT OF CONDITION:
NOTE: The accompanying images are a part of this statement of
condition. Please take the time to view all of the accompanying images.
They are designed to show the instrument at various angles. The
instrument was photographed under natural light conditions. The images
illustrate some of the salient features as noted in this description and
will give you a good idea of what you will be getting should you be the
proud new owner of this superb Watson microscope.
All in all this is a very well preserved example of a Watson
Edinburgh Model H Student Microscope. But, there are a few relatively
minor condition issues that are described below:
The brasswork on this instrument is in relatively good condition
as is clearly evident from the accompanying images. I would estimate
overall original lacquer retention in the range of 90 to 93 percent.
There are a few minor pits and scratches in the brass along with a
general haze of surficial tarnish and oxidation especially on the top of
the stage and on the milled heads were rubbing from use occurs or where
body oils tend to accumulate. All these minor condition issues are to
be expected for a microscope of this vintage. The Japanned black metal
portions of the microscope also have some minor scratches, chips and
minor areas of tarnish consistent with the age of the instrument.
The
only cosmetic treatment we have given this instrument was to clean it
of dirt and grime with dilute Windex and then to give it a protective
coating of Renaissance Wax from THE GEMMARY to preserve it.
NOTE: We do not deep clean and polish antique microscopes.
The
optical elements that come with this microscope including the
eyepieces, objective lenses and the Abbe condenser are all in excellent
condition with no evidence of fogging, fungus, delamination or other
defects. The plano-concave mirror is in relatively good condition, but
with just a modicum of loss of silvering on both sides. Nevertheless,
it provides excellent illumination to the stage.
Mechanically,
both the coarse and fine focus mechanisms work smoothly. The stage
operation is good, with both the x and y movements being smooth without
any significant binding. In addition, the rack and pinion focus
mechanism associated with the substage illumination assembly works
smoothly. The iris diaphragm also works smoothly and there is no
tarnish or rust on the iris blades. However, the stage clips are
missing from the top of the stage.
The Mahogany wood case that houses this microscope is in very
good serviceable condition and is structurally sound. It is the
original Mahogany case for the microscope and even includes a working
lock with key. Typical of virtually all antique wood microscope cases,
this case has some surface scratches and dings both inside and outside
from use over the years. There are also a couple of minor age cracks in
the bottom of the case.
Despite some relatively minor cosmetic imperfections and the
missing stage clips, this Edinburgh H Student Research Microscope with
case will most certainly be a highly prized addition to any microscope
collection. In fact, it still is fully functional and, if desired, can
still be used to this day for serious microscopic investigations.
ABOUT W. WATSON & SONS:
The optical firm of William Watson was established in 1837, but
the first Watson microscope was not made until the year 1876. Watsons
workshop was originally located at City Road, Clerkenwell, London from
1837 to 1862. The firm then moved to 313 High Holborn, London in 1862.
After the death of the firms founder in 1881, the name of the firm was
changed to W. Watson & Sons in 1882, but its business location
remained at 313 High Holborn in London until the year 1957. The firm
also established branch offices outside of London in Birmingham and in
Edinburgh, Scotland. In the year 1908, the firm was incorporated under
British law and the name of the firm was changed again to W. Watson
& Sons, Ltd. The firm moved out of London to 25 West End Lane,
Barnet, Herts in 1957. After several changes in ownership, the company
stopped producing microscopes in the year 1970.
So ended one of the best British microscope companies. They
also manufactured a wide range of photographic lenses and cameras, x-ray
machines, motion picture cameras, electrical devices, and other
scientific instruments. It is of interest that the very first
photograph of Queen Victoria was made with a Watson camera. Over the
more than 130 years of its existence, this highly prestigious optical
firm produced an excellent line of microscopes, some actually quite
stunningly beautiful like the instrument featured here, as well as
telescopes, binoculars and other optical instruments. In the year 1884,
the Watson firm purchased the business of Edmund Wheeler, a well-known
maker of prepared specimen slides. Wheelers slides became a large part
of their sales over the years under the Watson label. The Watson
prepared slides and their beautiful microscopes used to observe them
continue to be in very high demand by astute collectors today.
PURCHASE:
THE MONTANA LOGGER is very pleased to offer this superb antique
brass W. Watson & Sons Edinburgh H Students Research Microscope
along with its original Mahogany wood case for a very reasonable
Buy-It-Now cost.
NOTE: WE WARMLY WELCOME INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS/BUYERS. WE SHIP WORLDWIDE.
PAYMENT: Payment via PayPal is due within 3 days of purchase. Prompt payment is always very much appreciated.
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