WILSDORF and DAVIS

[michael s]

hello all,please... can no one help me with this watch? i have taken a few pics which might help,is it worth anything? all i want to know is this watch worth repairing to sell on as i am not a collector,the winder is missing and the enamel face has a hairline crack,i am told it is a wilsdorf and davis though im not 100%,in the picture of the inner back case is the letter P and it has W&D stamped also there is the numbers 21504 and a 7 bellow it.......

 

[doug sinclair]

Wilsdorf and Davis was formed in England in about 1903 or '04 or so, to assemble private label watches for jewellery strores in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. The watches were Swiss. The cases were marked W & D (as you know). Wilsdorf eventually bought out his partner, Davis. He had aspirations to selling a watch under a name of his own copyright which was Rolex. For a time he still produced private label watches with the jewellers name on the dial, and with the Rolex name on the movement. The company eventually beacame the Rolex Watch Co.

 

[Cary Hurt]

Is this is a pocketwatch? If so, I'd be more inclined to believe the "W&D" might belong to Weber & Dubois of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Rolex was first and foremost a wristwatch maker, their dress pocketwatches generally came later than the W&D period.

 

[michael s]

Is this is a pocketwatch? If so, I'd be more inclined to believe the "W&D" might belong to Weber & Dubois of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Rolex was first and foremost a wristwatch maker, their dress pocketwatches generally came later than the W&D period.

hi there thanks for getting back, you may be right i have heard this story in another forum,how do i find out?

 

[Cary Hurt]

If you could post photos of the movement and of the caseback markings, we should be able to tell you pretty quickly.

You may want to compare the markings to known examples from reputable sellers. Google "Wilsdorf & Davis" and you should come up with several photos to compare.

 

[michael s]

hello all,please... can no one help me with this watch? i have taken a few pics which might help,is it worth anything? all i want to know is this watch worth repairing to sell on as i am not a collector,the winder is missing and the enamel face has a hairline crack,i am told it is a wilsdorf and davis though im not 100%,in the picture of the inner back case is the letter P and it has W&D stamped also there is the numbers 21504 and a 7 bellow it.......[/i am adding pictures how stupid of me,i forgot[MAIN][/MAIN]
-> posts merged by system <-

Wilsdorf and Davis was formed in England in about 1903 or '04 or so, to assemble private label watches for jewellery strores in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. The watches were Swiss. The cases were marked W & D (as you know). Wilsdorf eventually bought out his partner, Davis. He had aspirations to selling a watch under a name of his own copyright which was Rolex. For a time he still produced private label watches with the jewellers name on the dial, and with the Rolex name on the movement. The company eventually beacame the Rolex Watch Co.

thanks doug seems like it might not be a wilsdorf and davis after all

 

[Cary Hurt]

Michael,

Unfortunately, the images are not clear enough for me to make a call. If you can get a sharply focused image of the caseback markings, that would be the most helpful.

Regards,

Cary