Here we have an uncommon English-made wristwatch from 1913, which has a beautiful English lever movement. It was manufactured by Rotherham & Sons and was retailed by G Coates & co Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand. The dial is unblemished and has the railroad track with classic Roman numeral hour markers. It is signed ‘G. Coates & Co Ltd, Christchurch, NZ’. The hands are of Spade and whip style with the thermally blued tone.

The case measures 30mm wide and is formed of 9ct gold. It is a typically early design with the hinged front and double hinged case back. To the right is the original Rotherham’s onion style crown. Below is the pin set. The case back is free of engraving and seals tightly. Inside it is signed with UK hallmarking from London assay office, for 9ct gold. It has the date letter ‘S’ from 1913-1914 and the ‘R&S’ sponsor mark to the case. The movement is a superior grade English Lever calibre, which has the advanced finishing by Rotherham and Sons. It is marked ‘Made expressly for G Coates & co ltd, Christchurch NZ. It has the Rotherham’s serial number 191929. It has been recently serviced and is keeping reliable time.

Rotherham’s and the English made watch
Early English made watches are uncommon, with the wristwatch being a Swiss invention. The English watchmaking industry was conservative, clinging to traditions of making a small quantity of high-quality pocket watches, for a wealthy customer base. This reluctance to transition to the wristwatch was one of the reasons for the decline of the British watchmaking industry in the late 19th/early 20th century.

Rotherham & Sons were an English watchmaking company founded in Coventry in the mid 18th century. They first used traditional hand craft methods, before adopting new technology with steam power machinery in the mid 1800s. In the later 1800s they became one of a handful of English watchmaking companies to mass produce watches using automatic machinery, in the manner of the American watchmaking factories.

The factory was well run, producing well finished watches which were highly regarded by the trade and general public. Yet between 1880 until they ceased production in the 1930s, production was around half a million, which was small compared to American factories.

Rotherham & Sons were one of the few English watchmaking companies to make wristwatches. Whilst the American and Swiss manufacturers scaled production, Rotherhams were less capable, which made their wristwatches comparatively expensive and low in terms of numbers produced. They also imported Swiss movements, so not all Rotherham signed watches are English made.

Rotherham’s tended to supply domestically within the UK to retailer jewellers, which meant the retailers name took centre stage with their branding on the watch. Britain also had a large colonial market at this time and felt there was a cachet attached to their name and British made, so they tended to sign export watches with the Rotherhams name. What we have here is an uncommon example which was produced with branding for a jeweller in New Zealand, both to the dial and movement.

G Coates
G Coates & Co Ltd were a manufacturing jeweller, watchmaker and opticians who operated from 1861-1940. They also imported mathematical instruments, diamonds, precious stones, clocks, watches and jewellery at their 218 Colombo Street address in Christchurch, New Zealand. The firm was established by Mr G Coates in Nelson in 1851 and moved to Christchurch in 1861. They were one of the oldest and leading firms in the Canterbury region.

The watch
The dial is a bright white enamel tone and is unblemished. It. Has the railroad minute track to the exterior with the pointed markers to the quarters. The hour markers are the classic Roman numerals. It is signed below 12 o’clock with the retailer signing ‘G. Coates & Co Ltd, Christchurch, NZ’. The hands are of the classic spade and whip style, with the thermally blued tone which has aged.

The case measures just under 30mm wide with a length of 30mm. It has a total lug-to-lug measurement of 40mm which adds presence. The lug width is just 10mm, with the central attachment.

The case is formed of 9ct gold and is the classic construction with the hinged front and double hinged case back. The bezel has the polished finish and slopes to meet the sides of the case. The lugs are fixed to the centre of the case with the flexible gold loop which the bracelet attaches to. To the right-hand side is the original Onion style crown, of the Rotherham’s winding style, with the pin for the hand set below. The case back has the polished finish and is free of engraving. Inside it is signed with the clear hallmarking from London assay office for 9ct gold. It has the date letter ‘S’ which dates the watch to 1913/14. It is also marked with the ‘R&S’ makers mark for Rotherham & Sons. There are a number of service etchings inside, which indicate the watch has been consistently well maintained. The inner hinged back has the matching hallmarking.

The movement is a traditional right angle English lever escapement. It has the three-quarter plate layout to the bridges. It measures 22mm which is a size 10/0 on the Lancashire Watch gauge or 9.75 lignes in the Swiss system. The mainspring is housed in a “going barrel” and drives the train directly.

The movement exhibits Rotherhams’ high-level finishing, reserved for their superior grade movements. The jewels are set within gold chatons, with the thermally blued screws holding them in place. The finish to the bridges is also more complex with engine turned finishing. It has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time to within + 30 seconds a day.

The watch is modelled on a 7” wrist circumference.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
A further condition report is below.

Dial:
The dial is original and is formed of enamel. It is in very good condition with no hairline fractures or chips. The signing is good and clear.

Hands:
The hands are original and have the thermally blued finish. They are in strong antique condition. The thermally blued tone has corroded with age.

Glass:
The acrylic crystal is a modern replacement which is in good condition with no marking.

Crown:
The crown is original and is in good antique condition, functioning as it should.

Case:
The case is in good condition for the age with just surface scratching and some light nicks. There are no deep scratches or noticeable dents. The lug wires are original.

Caseback:
The case back is free of engraving and the hinge is strong, sealing tightly. It has only light surface scratching associated with age. The inner hinged back is also in good condition, sealing tightly with a good hinge.

Bracelet:
The watch comes on a later expanding bracelet which is gold plated and is in good condition, matching the watch well. It will fit up to a 7.25” wrist circumference.

Movement:
The Rotherham’s English lever movement is in good antique condition.

It has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time to within +30 seconds per day variation, with an amplitude of 345 degrees and a beat error of 2.0m/s.

Case dimensions
Case width: 29.7mm
Case width with crown: 32.6mm
Case length: 30mm
Case length lug to lug: 40mm
Case depth: 10.8mm
Lug width: 10mm