Description

Offered for sale is a fairly early example of Watson’s Edinburgh Student’s Stand microscope in brass – it dates to around 1898 based on its serial number 4395.  It’s marked W. Watson & Sons significantly pre-dating the firm’s move to limited company status which occurred in 1908.  This being an early example of an Edinburgh, it has the more slanted style of tripod.  It’s got some signs of use/wear and lacquered brass-work that’s also showing age-related spotting, tarnishing and lacquer losses here and there, giving the instrument a lovely patina.

The Edinburgh pattern model of microscope was produced by Watson between 1887 and around 1945; its long production run giving us a firm clue regarding just how good this model of microscope was in its heyday and over that long production cycle Watson regularly updated and improved the model, so what you see here is a fairly early example with many of the original Edinburgh features such as an early pattern (more slanted) anodised brass tripod, stage attached via brass bolts to the upper limb and mirror on a swinging support arm.  The Edinburgh stand was originally developed by Watson in collaboration with a professor and lecturer in bacteriology at the University of Edinburgh, hence the Edinburgh designation. With its signature rear cross-member and lacquered brass-work, the Edinburgh model is a fine example of British optical engineering with a design and style dating back to the Victorian era. 

With this example being a G-model it has a plain brass stage, whereas the H-model sports a fully mechanical stage.  It’s worth noting that Watson did at times offer the H-model with the option of deleting the mechanical stage, so we’ll never know if this example is actually a G or an H specified without a mechanical stage.  It is possible to fit suitable types of mechanical over-stages to the G-model and such an upgrade usually works very well.  This example has also got some later additions and alterations – more details can be found later on in the listing.

Turning to the technical details, the coarse focus is via rack and pinion with good smooth action that holds in position on adjustment.  The coarse focus thumb-wheels are asymmetric with larger diameter thumb-wheel on the right-hand side giving finer focus control.  Fine focus itself is operated via a separate brass thumb-wheel located at the rear of the upper limb which operates an internal lever system acting against sprung resistance.  The focusing technique being to achieve near focus with the coarse thumb-wheels, then fine-tune with the single rear thumb-wheel, which only has a fairly small range of movement via its vernier screw mechanism.

With the optics, this Watson microscope comes fitted with a period graduated brass eyepiece draw-tube inside a brass main optical tube and there’s a later vintage Watson 6x magnification eyepiece that with adequate illumination produces very good images. 

There are three period objectives in total and a later Watson chromed triple turret which rotates freely with a nice positive feel as the objectives slot into their viewing positions.  The objectives are as follows:

– Objective AO in brass by Busch – low power – about 5x magnification
– 2/3rds inch in brass – Watson – 10x magnification
– 1/6th inch in brass by Watson – 40x magnification

Overall therefore, the range of magnification available with this Watson ranges from about 30x with the lowest power lens combination, up to around 240x with the highest power combination.

The specimen stage is all-brass currently with a single slide clip for holding specimens, which works well.  This type of plain stage can take a mechanical over-stage and on previous occasions I’ve used the over-stage by Spencer Optical Co which works very well with this application.  

Turning to the sub-stage, we have an Abbe-type condenser in a brass mount that top-fits into the ring-carrier.  There’s also centering controls for the condenser comprising three thumb-screws.  This all sits sits in a height adjustable rack and pinion system with single-sided brass thumb-wheel to adjust the height, along with a swing-out feature allowing easy swapping or maintenance of the condenser hardware – I’ve shown the swing-out feature in the listing photos.  The condenser arrangement also includes a working iris to control lighting levels – this accessory push-fits into the underside of the ring carrier and can be seen fitted in the listing photos.  Lighting is via a plano-concave mirror in a brass mount that’s on a height and swing-adjustable brass support arm with slider and gimbal, with period silvering that’s in decent condition to both sides.

The instrument’s controls and friction surfaces have been very lightly lubricated and operate smoothly with a nice feel and there’s very little in the way of age-related signs of wear to the various moving parts.  This instrument presents pretty well with brass-work that still catches the light.  This example is essentially a usable early antique Watson Edinburgh – it’ll make a nice display item and is offered at an attractive price point for an antique Edinburgh model of this age. 

There’s no storage case with this example at the present time.

Owing to the weight and delicacy of this antique Edinburgh-G microscope, it will be partially dismantled, very well wrapped for shipping and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.