Antique Scientific Instruments

Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased

Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased

Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased
Here is a really well presented example of a technical microscope - a retro Watson Service II model upgraded with the sought after and rare "Binac" binocular head, a recent set of progressive magnification objective lenses by Gillet & Sibert and a superb full mechanical stage by Vickers. It really does tick all the boxes - I'm tempted to keep this one for myself! This example of Watson's Service II dates from the early 1950s, from the early post-war era, a period when Britain also lead the world in many aspects of design and manufacture.

It's also got a comprehensive technical configuration and a good range of nice quality objective lenses. The construction is really solid with base, stage and upper all in brass/steel. The black painted finish is spotless with hardly any signs of wear at all.

The bright-work components being nickel and chrome have also polished up really well. This example is serial number 104043 which dates the frame to around the 1953 period, with the Binac head being serial number E22 probably dating it to the late 1950s or early 1960s after Watson had changed their trading name to Watson Barnet, whilst the Vickers full mechanical stage with drop-down x and y axis adjustment will date to the 1960s. This microscope has rack and pinion main and thumb-wheel vernier fine focusing, both of which move freely with no signs of wear.

This example is fitted with two Watson #2 (6 times magnification) matched eyepieces for the binocular head, which in itself is also 1.5x magnification, thereby giving 9x effective magnification at the eyepieces. It is also fitted with a triple nose-piece which rotates freely and comes supplied with three good quality progressive objective lenses with a range of magnifications as follows. 10x Gillet & Sibert (GS). 40x GS with spring-loaded tip. 100x GS with spring-loaded tip (oil immersion) - not tested (the effective magnification range is therefore 90x to 900x for binocular and 100x to 1,000x for monocular).

The stage set-up really is something else and sets this example apart. It's got a superb full mechanical stage fitted as a replacement for the standard Watson bakelite stage. The mechanical stage is from a Vickers M15 model, it has thumb-wheel controls for moving both x and y-axes, which are located on the left below the stage on drop-down controls, both axes move smoothly with graduated measurement scales.

There is also an integral slide-clip system for holding slides in place during inclined viewing, comprising a sprung armature and clips. The design works very well and is a real bonus offering a fine degree of control for high-magnification and inclined viewing. Under stage there is an Abbe condenser with fully working iris on a rack and pinion mount which moves nice and freely. The condenser is removable and is also fitted with a single swing-out filter holder. There is a plano-concave mirror for lighting, which is in good condition with the silvering virtually blemish-free on both sides; it's also got a height-adjustable brass support arm in addition to the usual gimbal set-up.

And last but not least of course, this example's. The Binac binocular eyepiece unit, which is a rare find and is adjustable for both focus and eyepiece separation and comes with a matched pair of Watson eyepieces. Binocular set-ups are usually preferred by experienced users especially for detailed high-magnification and long-duration work, as they tend to give a more relaxed viewer experience. The original monocular head is also supplied and the two can be changed over fairly quickly by unscrewing one head and carefully replacing with the other, while ensuring that the screw threads align properly before tightening.

The original monocular head also has a useful collar with thumb-screw for fixing the variable tube length and it's also supplied with a single 10x eyepiece by Cooke Troughton & Simms (CTS). It's now shown at the end of the listing photos - this example will also be supplied with a quality period hardwood storage case with working lock and key - I think that the case is by Swift and I can supply additional photos on request. This is a really nice example of an up-graded retro Watson Service II model just oozing both solidity and quality with its comprehensive technical monocular and binocular set-ups, retro look and excellent cosmetic condition. This example will make a great addition to any collection and it's also perfectly usable as a technical microscope.

If you're interested in a vintage Watson microscope, then this would be a really good example that tests the boundaries - it's unlikely you'll find many Watson Binac and drop-down mechanical stage set-ups in such good condition at this price point - in fact in terms of both capability and visual presence it's almost in the same league as its bigger brother the Watson Bactil model. With all that metal it's also a rather large, imposing and heavyweight piece, weighing-in at over 10kg plus packaging, so will be sent by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds. Thanks for looking - please check out my other listings - mainly eclectic artworks and vintage optics, plus some other cool stuff.

The item "Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased" is in sale since Wednesday, January 29, 2020. 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, Antigua and barbuda, 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, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Brunei darussalam, Cayman islands, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Grenada, French guiana, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Macao, Monaco, Maldives, Montserrat, Martinique, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Paraguay, Reunion, Turks and caicos islands, Aruba, Saudi arabia, South africa, United arab emirates, Ukraine, Chile, Bahamas, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kuwait, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, El salvador, Trinidad and tobago, Uruguay, Viet nam.

  • Period: 1951 to Present
  • MPN: Does Not Apply
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
  • Viewer: Binocular
  • Custom Bundle: No
  • Sub-Type: Microscopes
  • Material: Brass
  • Brand: Watson
  • Type: Microscope
  • Modified Item: No
  • Microscope Type: Compound Microscope


Vintage Watson Service II Microscope Rare Binocular Head, Mech Stage c1953 Cased