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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope
10 (W Watson
& Sons Ltd; Service I model; c. 1952)
W. Watson & Sons
were opticians and camera makers trading from London and Edinburgh. The
company was originally founded in 1837 by William Watson at 71 City
Road, and the business continued at this address until 1861, when it moved to
313 High Holborn. In 1867, the name was changed to W. Watson & Son.
In 1882, the name was changed to W. Watson & Sons. In 1900 the
company acquired the John Browning and Co., and in 1908 the firm became W.
Watson & Sons Ltd. In 1929 they published an advert in the British
Industries Fair Catalogue as an Optical, Scientific and Photographic Exhibit,
highlighting the manufacture of microscopes for medical, industrial and
educational purposes. Into the 1950s, the company changed their address to 25
West End Lane, Barnet, Hertfordshire, where they stayed until the late 1960s.
In 1957 the company was acquired by Pye of Cambridge and ten years later,
taken over by Philips. By 1970 the manufacture of microscopes was over.
Microscope 10 is a ‘Service I’ Watson’s model, which was originally described
in a 1941 advert in the Journal of Scientific Instruments (Figure 1).
Here, this microscope was described as being “designed to meet the demand
for a robust monocular microscope incorporating those features required by
the research worker”. The serial number of microscope 10 is 111575,
allowing to date the instrument in the early 1950s. The stage’s serial number
is 29102 and contains a universal Nº 1 Condenser Watson K2891. This
instrument contains an inscription “Vet. Med. Camb. 56”, suggesting it
belonged to the Department of Veterinary Medicine of University of Cambridge.
Figure
1.
Watson’s Service I microscope as originally pictured in the Journal of
Scientific Instruments in 1941. References W.
Watson and Sons (https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/W._Watson_and_Sons),
last accessed on 12.08.2020 LAST EDITED: 15.08.2020 |
