Vintage W. Watson & Sons Ltd Edinburgh Student's Stand-H Microscope c1933, Cased

This listing is for a stunning example of a vintage Edinburgh Student's Stand-H model microscope in brass by W. Watson & Sons Limited of London. It dates from 1933 based on the sequential Watson production number of 53220, which is engraved onto the frame, just above the rear tripod foot and it's still got the Watson guarantee card in its case - a nice touch and increasingly rare these days. It's an Edinburgh-H model, which Watson produced between 1887 and around 1945; its long production run giving us a firm clue regarding just how good this model of microscope was in its heyday and over that long production cycle Watson regularly updated and improved the model, so what you see here is a late model with those upgrades and modification essentially baked-in.

The Edinburgh stand was originally developed by Watson in collaboration with a professor and lecturer in bacteriology at the University of Edinburgh, hence the Edinburgh designation. With its signature rear cross-member giving that classic "H" look, the Edinburgh H is essentially an excellent piece of British optical engineering. It's an instrument showing its quality from every one of its many intricate parts, based on good materials, solid construction, great design and skilled workmanship with plenty of hand-finishing carried out in this period to produce an instrument of this quality. Have a look at the quality of the construction, even details such as the paint finish and small components like brass screws and other technical furniture really do scream top quality. This is therefore a sturdy, quality, well-made microscope in really good original condition, fully working and all moving parts seem to be free from wear, which means that this instrument has been looked after during its near ninety year lifespan.

If you'd like to learn a bit more about this example please read on. If you're already familiar with the Edinburgh H, then I hope you agree that this is a rather fine example and maybe one to add to your collection. Turning to the technical details, the coarse focus is via rack and pinion which has a good smooth action, with fine focus achieved via a separate brass thumb-wheel located at the rear of the upper frame which operates an internal lever system and also works nice and smoothly. Overall, the range of magnification available with this Watson therefore ranges from about 20x to a theoretical 2,000x with oil immersion and very bright illumination.

The microscope's fully mechanical stage is an original Watson item in brass with the addition of a sprung specimen clip system that's perfect for holding slides including during inclined viewing. The freely running x/y controls also offering fine control of specimen positioning, which is a real advantage for higher magnification work. Turning to the sub-stage, we have a Watson universal condenser with centering controls on a height adjustable rack and pinion mount with twin thumb-wheels. The condenser assembly also has a working iris to control lighting levels.

There's also a swing-out holder fitted for adding coloured, opaque of dark-field filters. Lighting is via a plano-concave mirror on an adjustable brass support arm and gimbal set-up, with period silvering that's in good condition to both sides. All controls operate smoothly including coarse focus, fine-focus, eyepiece draw-tube, condenser and plano-concave mirror.

This instrument is very easy on the eye presenting a visual treat with its fine lacquered brass and unmarked paintwork. It's essentially an excellent working example of Watson's classic Edinburgh Stand-H model in highly original condition with a comprehensive specification and good optics in collectable condition. With that deep shine to its black paintwork and lovely gleaming lacquered brass-work that's virtually free from much in the way of age-related tarnishing and spotting, it really catches the light well, glowing with a yellow/golden colour and is one of the best looking examples of this model that I've owned over the years. Please note that there is also a correct original Watson wooden storage case with this example, which is also in excellent condition for its age with internal lens rack, sundries container, nice leather carry-handle and a working lock with key. There's even the original transit bolt and washer present.

Thanks for looking - please also check out my other listings. Watson & Sons Ltd Edinburgh Student's Stand-H Microscope c1933, Cased" is in sale since Thursday, September 2, 2021. This item is in the category "Antiques\Science/Medicine\Scientific Instruments". The seller is "arcboutant" and is located in Glasgow.

This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Australia, United States, Bahrain, Canada, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Brunei darussalam, Cayman islands, Ecuador, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, French guiana, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Macao, Monaco, Maldives, Martinique, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Paraguay, Reunion, Saudi arabia, South africa, United arab emirates, Ukraine, Chile, Bahamas, Colombia, Costa rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kuwait, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Trinidad and tobago, Uruguay, Viet nam.

Period: 1901 to 1950
Antique: Yes
Material: Brass
Type: Microscope