Working Autorist Art Deco automatic watch by John Harwood
featured in Octane Fortis Rolex
John Harwood was a talented inventor is credited with
inventing the automatic movement, below is a little on the history and the
importance of this time piece, especially to find a working example.
This actual watch has been featured in Octane magazine'
watch section as a rarity and an important piece of watch history
This is a working Autorist by John Harwood and is in great
condition, serviced before I bought it, and has had little careful use since,
it has had its glass replaced, but most importantly it WORKS..
Re value, How do you value something this rare? I’ve based the value on the recent Autorist
watch sales, for both parts and projects and estimated repair costs, and the
only working one for sale Via 1st Dibs, which sold recently in inferior
condition for £4,600, so i think the starting price is more than sensible.
This is a horological talking piece, only about 4000 of
these movements were produced as John Harwood famously declared bankruptcy just
2 years into production. This spectacular Autorist is a rare example of
legendary horological ingenuity and a must for a rare collection or museum.
The watch measures 23mm by 39mm excluding the crown and
would suit a lady or a man
It still has its
original Art Deco guilloche dial with textured finish and clear printed black
minute track and numbers. Signed Autorist Regd with a nice even patina.
Condtion wise, there is wear with some scratches and
tarnished on the white metal case as shown in the pictures, but the watch has
not been re-chromed.
Heres a little on the inventor
After returning from the trenches of WWI, John Harwood
settled on the Isle of Man. He worked in a tiny workshop in Douglas when he
noticed that a lot of watches coming in for service suffered the same problem.
Dust and moisture got into the watch through the case hole and damaged the
gentle mechanics. To eliminate any protruding parts through the case and to
protect the movement inside he invented a new way of winding the mainspring.
Similar to the current concept, Harwood patented a centrally pivoted weight
that swings while the watch is worn approximately 230 degrees between sprung
buffers. It’s said that Harwood got inspired while watching children playing on
a see-saw.
At the Basel Trade Fair in 1926 FORTIS presented the world's
first mass-produced automatic wristwatches to an enthusiastic international
audience. The HARWOOD Automatic was a pioneer in the history of the wristwatch
and had a considerable impact on subsequent development of the automatic watch.
Wearing a watch on the wrist was considered to be unladylike
by watchmakers at the time. It was completely unacceptable to wear a mechanism
as sensitive as a watch on an exposed part of the body such as the wrist. Yet
it was ladies who wished to wear watches on their wrists. The ever-faster pace
of everyday life required a new kind of time management, and the HARWOOD
Automatic was ideal for the task.
The Harwood Self-Winding Watch Co. was founded in 1928 as a finance company. The production and distribution of HARWOOD for international markets took place at Walter Vogt's factory in Grenchen. John Harwood thought the attractive presentation of the merchandise in England's best jewellery shops was wonderful and enjoyed the prestige, without ever acquiring an air of arrogance.
The Autorist was another patented watch invented by John
Harwood. This watch was powered by movements of the watch strap as a result of
its attachment to the watch. Its rectangular design was fashionable at the time
and professional sales support provided to trading partners by means of
sophisticated advertising material ensured its considerable international
success. To guarantee the quality of his automatic wristwatches, John Harwood
developed the first dedicated device, a "watch winder" which could
wind up to 12 watches simultaneously.
In 1931 Hardwood’s hammer winding mechanism suffered
competition from a newly-invented rotor movement that would wind a watch on a
360 degree movement. This rotor movement was first introduced in the Rolex
Oyster Perpetuals.
After taking full credit for the world’s first waterproof
watch in 1926 (actually, the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch), the
creation by Rolex marked a major step forward. Given the name “Oyster”, this
watch featured a hermetically sealed case which provided optimal protection for
the movement.
In 1931, Rolex then went on to invent and patent the world’s
first self-winding mechanism with a Perpetual rotor. This ingenious system, a
true work of art, is today at the heart of every modern automatic watch.
However, despite Hardwood inventing the automatic
wristwatch, the competition sparked international coverage, with disagreements
about the inventor of the self-winding watch. Rolex subsequently apologised in
1956, giving John Harwood full credit as the inventor of the world’s first
automatic wristwatch with a portrait of him used in Rolex’s future
advertisements, and announced this to the world via the Sunday Express!!
It was well deserved recognition for John Harwood, whose
life was cut short by a road accident in 1964.
Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions
Please see other items including other watches
Only selling as I am looking for a nice Breitling Navitimer
806
It is advertised elsewhere