Description

Antique W. Watson & Sons Ltd – Praxis Monocular Microscope in Brass – circa 1919

Offered for sale is a very good antique condition Watson Praxis with clear optics, nice original case and age and use-appropriate patina to its brass-work. It’s a 107 year old example of the compact Watson Praxis that’s ideal for a collector or as a display piece in a suitable setting.

Here we have a lovely collectable Praxis microscope by W. Watson & Sons Limited of London and for comparison purposes I’ve put a copy of the entry from Watson’s 1912 product catalogue at the end of the listing photos.  This example dates to just after WWI – 1919 based on the sequential Watson production number of 24295 which is engraved onto the instrument’s horseshoe (or tuning-fork) shaped foot. This instrument is in very good general condition and has been well looked after by its former custodians.  It presents with a rather nice age-appropriate patina with only very minor wear to the black paint finish and hardly any blemishes to the lacquer-work, which is very much what you’d hope for with an antique instrument such as this.  Overall, it’s a great opportunity to acquire a usable vintage instrument that’s still in decent condition.  It’s perfectly usable and ideal for transmitted light microscopy applications and of course, also as a technical/antique display piece.

Watson’s Praxis model was mid-size model in Watson’s range of microscopes and intended to compete directly with similar sized microscope offerings from continental manufacturers like Leitz and Zeiss.  This example also benefits from period objective lenses and eyepieces that produce some nice images.  The Praxis is essentially an excellent piece of British quality optical engineering constructed from the right materials, with solid construction and hand-finishing to many of its components.  Feel the weight of it for one, despite being a small to mid-size antique microscope it’s still quite heavy with all that brass.  This is a sturdy Praxis microscope, fully working with no adverse signs of wear to its moving or technical components. 

The construction is a heavy horseshoe foot in brass, with single upright to the pivot point which can be adjusted for tension as required.  Continental pillar in lacquered brass, with fine focus thumb-wheel atop and upper limb also in brass with black finish.  Turning to the optics, this Watson Praxis is fitted with a chromed eyepiece draw-tube with graduation markings.  The main tube is in lacquered brass with coarse focus via rack and pinion with a nice smooth action, with the main tube holding in position as it should.  Fine focus is single brass thumb-wheel operating a vernier screw/lever arrangement which also moves smoothly with the right level of resistance to the touch and has just been lightly lubricated.   

The instrument is supplied with two appropriate vintage 6x and 10x magnification eyepieces by Watson that with good illumination produces nice sharp images.  It’s also got two vintage brass objectives and a double turret.  The objectives are as follows:

– 16mm in brass – R & J Beck -10x magnification
– 1/6th inch in brass – Watson – 40x magnification

Overall, the range of magnification provided by this Watson therefore runs from about 60x to around 400x with good illumination.

The instrument tilts for inclined viewing, holding in position as it should.  The stage is a standard Watson ebonite covered brass stage that’s fitted with a pair of slide-clips which are fine for holding a slide steady especially when using inclined viewing.

Turning to the sub-stage, we have an Abbe-type condenser fitted into the brass mount that’s on a height adjustable helical screw arrangement that also swings out as shown.  The condenser has a working iris and a 35mm swing-out filter carrier fitted.  Lighting is via a plano-concave mirror on a height adjustable support rod, with gimbal giving good adjustability.  The illumination plano-concave mirror is in a brass holder with silvering that’s in excellent condition to both sides.

This is a nice visual and also an excellent working example of Watson’s Praxis model in very good condition which I hope the listing photos highlight, with the benefit of decent period optics.  The original case is also present with internal racking, along with a rather nice period sheen to its exterior and lock and key are both present which is always nice to have. 

Owing to the weight and delicacy of the microscope, it will be partially dismantled, very well wrapped for shipping and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.  Anyone who’s bought instruments from me previously will know that I take great care and pride in packing and shipping items including both domestic and international services.  

Please study the photos as they also form part of the description.

Thanks for looking.