Antique W. Watson & Sons Ltd Brass Fram Monocular Microscope circa 1902

Here is a very well presented antique Fram model microscope in brass by W. Watson & Sons Limited of London. It dates from around 1902 based on the sequential Watson production number of 6028, which is engraved onto the brass upper frame, just above the tripod legs. It's a Fram type-I - these were produced from 1898 until around 1902, so this is quite a late example. It's distinguished from type-II and type-III Frams by its tripod legs which are welded onto a base plate, whereas in type-II the tripod is formed from a single continuous alloy casting and by type III the uprights had become fully integrated with the tripod legs. On top of the tripod there's a brass plate, which forms the base for the upper part of the microscope and which bears the engraved model name and serial number.

There's also the maker's name engraved onto the upper part of the tripod together with Watson's head office address in High Holborn, London. This Watson Fram model was one of a range of models in Watson's microscope line-up in this period with the same type of configuration of tripod legs with uprights and pivoting upper limb - these being: - Fram (this example) - Edinburgh Stand "H" - slightly larger model - see my other listings for examples - Royal - similar size to Edinburgh "H" - Van Heurck models - much larger Therefore while the Fram is slightly smaller than its siblings from this period, it's still quite an impressive and imposing instrument especially when embellished with options from the extensive Watson catalogue, as many examples of the Fram model are. The Fram does seem to be somewhat rarer to market than the Edinburgh "H" for example and may therefore have been produced in fewer numbers through its three iterations, making this example a rather exciting period find. This Fram type-I is essentially.

An excellent piece of British Edwardian optical engineering showing its quality from every one of its intricate parts, based on good materials, solid construction, great design and skilled workmanship with plenty of hand-finishing of components carried out in this period. This is a sturdy quality antique microscope in good original condition, fully working and it's got a great look and patina with just the right signs of age. For a brass example from the Edwardian period. It really is quite a spectacular visual delight for the eyes when it catches the autumn sun. Turning to the technical details, the Fram's coarse focus is via rack and pinion which has a good smooth action, with fine focus achieved via a separate thumb-wheel located at the rear of the upper frame which operates an internal lever system and also works nice and smoothly. With the optics, this Watson Fram microscope comes fitted with a nice period graduated brass eyepiece draw-tube and a quality vintage eyepiece that with good illumination produces excellent images: - 10x magnification - period eyepiece by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Plus it's got a good set of three period objectives and a triple brass Watson turret, which rotates freely, as follows: - 2/3rd inch Para objective by Watson -10x - 1/6th inch Para objective by. Watson - 40x - 1/12th inch Versalic oil immersion objective by Watson - 100x approx. Overall, the range of magnification available with this Watson Fram therefore ranges from about 100x to a perfectly respectable 1,000x when using oil immersion techniques. The microscope's mechanical stage is an original quality Watson item in brass with two original brass stage-clips for holding specimens in place. This system is excellent for retaining slides during inclined viewing, with 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 Abbe-style condenser on a height adjustable rack and pinion mount which swings out to allow changing condenser type, carrying out maintenance or just for microscopy techniques that don't require using a condenser. The condenser assembly also has a working iris to control lighting levels. There's a swing-out holder that's been newly fitted below the condenser, thereby allowing coloured, opaque or dark-field filters to be inserted. Lighting is via a plano-concave mirror which is in pretty good condition on its adjustable brass support arm and gimbal set-up with period silvering showing a little foxing especially to the plano-side and still perfectly functional. All controls operate reasonably smoothly including coarse focus, fine-focus, eyepiece draw-tube, condenser and plano-concave mirror. The instrument has been stripped, lubricated and rebuilt so all controls operate smoothly with the existing Watson hardware, thereby preserving its originality and collector appeal.

This Edwardian example is in generally very condition with age-approprate signs of use and has clearly been well looked after by its former custodians. This Fram also benefits from a set of period lenses, a brass triple turret, a brass mechanical stage and presents really well - for a mid-sized Edwardian instrument it really does have a commanding presence, especially when the sun catches its lacquered brass-work. This is a great visual and working example of Watson's classic and quite rare Fram type-I model in highly original condition with a comprehensive specification, good optics - it's essentially collectable and it also displays amazingly well.

Here is currently no storage case with this example. Ured courier upon receipt of cleared funds. Thanks for looking - please also check out my other listings if you get a chance. Watson & Sons Ltd Brass Fram Monocular Microscope circa 1902" is in sale since Saturday, November 28, 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, 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, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kuwait, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Trinidad and tobago, Uruguay, Viet nam, Brazil.

Period: 1901 to 1950
Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
Material: Brass
Type: Microscope
Antique: Yes
Sub-Type: Microscopes