Antique W. Watson & Sons Edinburgh Student's Stand-H Microscope c1912, cased

Here we have a wonderful antique microscope by renowned optical instrument makers W. Watson & Sons of 313 High Holborn, London. It's one of their signature models and is known as the "Edinburgh Student's Stand-H" microscope.

The "Stand-H" reference relates to a cross-member at the rear of the upper stand which creates an H-shape - you can see this for yourself in one of the photos in the listing. Sometimes this cross-member is inscribed with the details of the distributor, but this example does not have any such inscription, so may therefore have been part of a direct order from the Watson factory.

The Edinburgh "H" is one of the best models ever made by Watson, not quite as elaborate as their Royal and van Heurck models but also not that far off and therefore endowed with most of the same features and qualities as the top-flight van Heurcks. It's essentially an astonishingly good piece of British Edwardian optical engineering that produces beautiful images and if you're reading this you'll probably know about both Watson and the Edinburgh H, so if you're in the market for one, this is probably one of the better examples you'll find in this price range. The microscope's main focus is by a smooth rack & pinion and the brass eyepiece draw-tube is calibrated for easy setting of tube length.

The fine focus is by a micrometer thumb-wheel located at the rear of the upper stage which works an internal lever system and operates nice and smoothly. The microscope also has a fully mechanical stage with thumb-wheel x-axis and y-axis controls and an upper stage with slide clips giving complete and fine control of the sample under viewing conditions. The mechanical sub-stage has right-sided thumb-wheel controlled rack & pinion adjustment for the condenser and also the whole sub-stage assembly swings out for ease of changing the sub-stage configuration or fitting/removing accessories. The sub-stage also comprises a lever-operated iris and swing-out filter holder and the Abbe condenser.

The plano-concave mirror is on a separate multi-adjustable limb for oblique illumination in addition to its standard gimbal. As is normal with Watson microscopes of this era, the tripod stand is engraved with the makers name, address and the sequential instrument production/serial number. This model's serial number is 14439 which dates it to about 1912, so just after the end of the Edwardian period and just before the Great War.

This example also has the number 31 stamped onto the main tube and also on a couple of the objective lenses - this number must relate to an internal inventory number for a custodian institution such as a hospital, college or university, but there are no other clues about the identity of this former owner. 2/3rds inch parachromatic - Watson (Bakelite canister). 1/6th inch parachromatic - Watson (Bakelite canister). 1/12th inch oil immersion - Leitz Wetzlar (brass canister) - untested.

2mm oil immersion - R J Beck (brass canister) - untested. There are also two period eyepieces - 6x magnification and 10x magnification. There is also a wooden storage case with a working lock and key and replacement carry-handle - it's shown in one of the later photos in the listing. The case isn't an original Watson case, it is however a quality case possibly in mahogany and it's fitted with a removable storage rack for holding the selection of lenses. There are also the following additional extras. An extract from Watson's essential publication "The Watson Microscope" which contains specific details about use and maintenance of the Edinburgh H model. A box of blank slides and a box of cover slips. A small selection of prepared slides for test viewing. This is a high-quality heavyweight microscope with the perfect selection of lenses and other useful accessories with a quality wooden case - it's almost certainly one that will appeal to an enthusiast or serious amateur. Thanks for looking - please also check out my other listings - mainly eclectic artworks and vintage optics, plus some other cool stuff.

Watson & Sons Edinburgh Student's Stand-H Microscope c1912, cased" is in sale since Sunday, November 17, 2019. 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, Qatar, Trinidad and tobago, Uruguay, Viet nam.

Period: 1901 to 1950
Material: Brass
Type: Microscope
Mechanical stage: X and Y-axis