J.W. Benson was originally set up by brothers James William Benson and Samuel Suckley Benson in the second half of the 19th century, who were both watchmakers and retailers of jewellery and silverware. After just eight years, the partnership was dissolved in 1855, and J.W. Benson carried on alone. By the 1860s, he was advertising his large and richly stocked shop with an adjoining workshop specialising not only in the manufacture of watches and clocks but also in their repair. He began to participate in both national and international expositions, including London in 1862, Paris in 1867 and the Inventions Exhibition of 1885, at which he unveiled the ‘Patent Dust and Damp Excluding Band for Watches’.

J.W. Benson died in 1878, leaving his sons Alfred and Arthur to continue the business. The following year, they were awarded a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria, to which they would add those of the Prince of Wales and the Kings of Siam and Denmark.

The company ran successfully until the Second World War when their factory was bombed, and they ceased manufacturing but remained retailers until they were purchased by Mappin & Webb in the 1980s.
The present pair of heavy hunter case minute repeating split-seconds chronographs represent the epitome of the best quality English watchmaking of the time.

Due to the sheer heft of the pieces the cuvettes are placed on 5 hinges for stability, the bow features a very interesting detail in the fact that it swivels, this was a theft proof mechanism as the bow could not be screwed off but would swivel indefinitely.

The movement is superb with its ¾ gilt bridge, balance cock with diamond end stone and bi-metallic cylindrical balance spring and represents state of the art watchmaking, the AP stamp indicates the movement was supplied by Audemars Piguet

In a very interesting twist of fate, the movement's numbers are consecutive: 2516 and 2517.