This watch

A superb example of a rugged, commercial-grade timepiece retailed by one of London’s most famous jewellers, featuring a robust screw-back case and a high-quality Swiss movement.

This impressive pocket watch from the 1930s is a piece of British retail and horological history. It was retailed by Winegartens of 145 Bishopsgate, London EC2, a major London-based firm known for quality timepieces and jewellery.

The case is built for durability, featuring a robust screw-down front bezel and screw-back case construction, ensuring a better seal against dust and moisture, a critical requirement for a practical, everyday work watch. The thick, original glass (or crystal) was specifically designed to withstand the knocks and impacts of a demanding work environment, like the railways.

The key feature is the embossed "Railway Regulator" insignia on the case back, often incorporating the image of a steam engine. This marked the watch as a piece intended for staff requiring reliable, accurate timing, though it may not have met the strict regulations of American 'Railroad Grade' watches, it was a clear commercial indicator of quality and reliability in the UK market.

The clean, white enamel dial is clearly signed "Winegartens, 145 Bishopsgate, London EC2" and features bold black Arabic numerals for maximum legibility, paired with elegant blued steel hands.

Inside, the watch is powered by a high-quality, Swiss-made Vertex-Revue (or similar quality) movement, likely a 15-jewel calibre, a testament to the popular and reliable Swiss imports retailed in the UK at the time. This watch is a truly evocative piece of early 20th-century British commercial history.

 Extra Points

Winegartens Ltd. was a prominent and highly respected independent jewellery and watch retailer based in London, operating for much of the 20th century, particularly famous for its location on Bishopsgate, EC2. 

Similar to J.W. Benson, Winegartens did not manufacture its own movements but followed the common practice of the time . Winegartens sourced high-quality, reliable movements and complete watches from leading Swiss manufacturers.

They then had these watches cased, finished (often in Britain, using British hallmarked gold or silver cases), and branded with their name on the dial: "Winegartens London" or "Winegartens Superfine."

This approach allowed them to offer watches that maintained the technical excellence of Swiss horology (featuring movements by firms like AS  Vertex or Cortebert) combined with the prestige of a well-known London retailer.

Certain models, often powered by Cortebert movements (which supplied movements to Rolex's early railway models), were sold as "Railway Regulator" watches, signifying high accuracy.

Alongside their own-label pieces, Winegartens was also known for stocking and retailing watches from major high-end Swiss brands like Rolex and Omega.

What We Think

Winegartens was a powerful name in London retail, located right in the bustling heart of the City, close to Liverpool Street Station in Bishopsgate. not far from us in clerkenwell road When a watch displays the "Railway Regulator" on the back, it speaks to the relentless demand for accuracy and toughness that railway life required.  My father actually aquuared a large stock of unused watches from the liquidators when winegartens ended trading in the late 1970s

We know that our friends at Vertex (the London-based company that partnered with Revue Thommen to create the "Vertex Revue" co-branded watches) was known for producing rugged, reliable timepieces, eventually being one of the only British-based manufacturers chosen for the famous "Dirty Dozen" military watches of WWII. This watch comes from that same tradition of robust Swiss-made movements (like the one used in this piece) imported by savvy London retailers for the British market.

The screw-down case and the thick glass are not merely aesthetic; they are functional requirements. Unlike the fragile snap-back cases of many dress watches, this construction was essential for resisting the dust, steam, and vibration inherent to the railway environment. It’s a tool-watch before the term was coined, a piece of industrial heritage from a time when accurate timing meant the difference between a train running on schedule and a complete disaster.

It's a wonderful example of a Swiss movement being retailed in London for the working man, marrying European precision with a sturdy, practical design for the British market.