Antique W. Watson & Sons Edinburgh Student's Stand-H Microscope c1931, Cased

Here we have an absolutely superb antique microscope by the highly respected optical instrument makers W. Watson & Sons of 313 High Holborn, London. It's truly in stunning condition, almost as if it just left the Watson factory last week with its unblemished lacquered brass and back painted surfaces and it's also one of their best models, 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 signature design for yourself in one of the photos in the listing.

The Edinburgh "H" is one of the better models made by Watson during their active production period which ran from the late 1800s right through to the 1960s/1970s, with this specific model remaining in production from the 1890s to the mid-1930s. This particular example dates from later production and we can date its manufacture to precisely 23 March 1931 based on the sequential production number 48115 and there's the original Watson guarantee and optics magnification card on the inside door of the storage case which confirms its provenance.

Overall the "H" is essentially an astonishingly good and stylish piece of British Edwardian optical engineering that produces beautiful images and gives the viewer a fine degree of viewing control. With an example in this museum-quality condition it's a real find and now quite rare to market in such condition and with provenance. Turing to the technical details, this microscope's main focus is by rack & pinion system which moves freely and the chromed eyepiece draw-tube is calibrated for easy setting of tube length. The fine focus adjuster is a later-style brass thumb-wheel located at the rear of the upper frame which moves smoothly giving excellent fine focus adjustment.

This example benefits from a fully mechanical specimen stage with thumb-wheel x-axis and y-axis controls and an upper stage with original sprung slide clips giving fine control of the sample being viewed. The sub-stage has thumb-wheel controlled rack & pinion vertical adjustment for the condenser. The sub-stage also comprises the Abbe-type condenser which is a Watson model, with working iris to control lighting levels and swing-out filter holder for insertion of coloured or dark-field filters. The condenser itself is also adjustable for position via twin thumb-screw adjusters and is removable for maintenance or swapping for another type of condenser. The plano-concave mirror is on a separate adjustable limb together with its standard gimbal with silvering that's in good condition on both sides. Turning to the optics, the microscope has a period Watson rotating triple turret in brass with black finish and four quality objective lenses covering a range of magnifications as follows. Watson 2/3rds Parachromatic - R J Beck 1/2 inch (12mm) - not shown in listing - Watson 1/6th Parachromatic. Watson 1/12th Versalic oil immersion (untested).

The objectives lenses all have their period-correct brass Watson/Beck canisters and there are also two period eyepieces - 6x magnification and 8x magnification. There is also an original vintage Watson wooden storage case with a working lock and key and a removable rack for storing the lenses and a small bottle of immersion oil for the high-power Versalic objective lens.

This is more than just a quality antique microscope in really good condition, it's essentially a time-capsule of Edwardian-era optical engineering in highly original condition and ideal for the serious collector. It's supplied with an appropriate selection of lenses together with its correct period wooden storage case - it's almost certainly and example 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 c1931, Cased" is in sale since Thursday, February 27, 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, 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