Southern News SWCS Watchmaker Supply Leaflets from 1960s History

[luiazazrambo]

Smiths watches and clocks from SWCS

(my scanner can do only A4s as max and some pages did not fit hence i scanned them twice, bottom and top)

 

 

I have a question for you. Where does the Precista brand come from? Is this SWCS own brand? Have they bought the name? Or is it a 3rd party? Here is a Precista lathe with SWCS sign on the box and their HQ is in the Precista house, 48-52 High Street, Orpington, Kent

Edited October 4, 2022 by luiazazrambo

[Neverenoughwatches]

27 minutes ago, luiazazrambo said:

Smiths watches and clocks from SWCS

(my scanner can do only A4s as max and some pages did not fit hence i scanned them twice, bottom and top)

I have a question for you. Where does the Precista brand come from? Is this SWCS own brand? Have they bought the name? Or is it a 3rd party? Here is a Precista lathe with SWCS sign on the box and their HQ is in the Precista house, 48-52 High Street, Orpington, Kent

Bloody brilliant Lui, my favourite all time maker that kicked Rolex's arse in 1953. I have 3 Astrals and about a dozen Empires, yet to find a Deluxe at a good price though. Love the Sooty alarm clock i just have to have one. Great post that will help me identify my Smith's . Thanks

[luiazazrambo]

20th year issue No 162

More 'Precista' tools: staking set, solder holder, calipers, watch winding tool and even a bench.

[oldhippy]

That staking set is the same as the one I bought in the 70's it cost a lot more then that. 

Edited October 5, 2022 by oldhippy

[luiazazrambo]

Incablock and some shock proof tools. There is no date on these ones, but they are from before 1971 as there is no decimalisation yet. Do we still have those universal shock fitting tools? The marks I sometime leave on the springs are not delightful. 

 

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

17 minutes ago, luiazazrambo said:

Do we still have those universal shock fitting tools? The marks I sometime leave on the springs are not delightful. 

I do have 3 of the kif spring press bars. Still marks the springs without extra care taken. Tbh i prefer the wooden one i made, but they dont last that long. Cousins sell the metal ones. I think they are aluminium. 

[oldhippy]

The incabloc set came in a nice gray box.  When you needed replacements just name what you needed. 

[luiazazrambo]

Watch light, Precista display domes and a Smiths Motor Watch! Woah!

Edited October 5, 2022 by luiazazrambo

[clockboy]

Oh yes!! A time when parts and tools were plentiful. Alas we now spend hours trolling the big wide web looking for that allusive part.

[oldhippy]

The problems you members have in getting parts today is shame. You have to rely on the Internet these days. I know I keep on saying back in my time the 70's and 80's but if we couldn't I D a movement we just sent it to which ever supplier we used and they did all the work, sent it back by return of post with the part/parts that we needed.  

[luiazazrambo]

Insist on Seitz 

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

28 minutes ago, luiazazrambo said:

Insist on Seitz 

 

Haha. Whats this ? An assortment of cheap crappy jewels you've bought. Insist on a refund more like  . You get what you pay for mate. I better go check thd ones i have lol.

[luiazazrambo]

1 minute ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Haha. Whats this ? An assortment of cheap crappy jewels you've bought. Insist on a refund more like  . You get what you pay for mate. I better go check thd ones i have lol.

It wasn't fair from me to place that pic there, it might explain why to insist on Seitz though. The pic I took was about some of the jewels came from this assortment: https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/jewel-holes-end-stones?code=J47732 First it seemed to be a good buy, but turned out that these are the jewels which were discarded and swept from the floor after the shifts in the jewel factory.

[Neverenoughwatches]

44 minutes ago, luiazazrambo said:

It wasn't fair from me to place that pic there, it might explain why to insist on Seitz though. The pic I took was about some of the jewels came from this assortment: https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/jewel-holes-end-stones?code=J47732 First it seemed to be a good buy, but turned out that these are the jewels which were discarded and swept from the floor after the shifts in the jewel factory.

Haha. Yes it was perfectly fair mate, this is the sort of thing that should be brought to the attention of beginners to prevent them wasting money. I think i have the same ones lol. Very much appreciated so dont think otherwise.

[Neverenoughwatches]

13 hours ago, luiazazrambo said:

It wasn't fair from me to place that pic there, it might explain why to insist on Seitz though. The pic I took was about some of the jewels came from this assortment: https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/jewel-holes-end-stones?code=J47732 First it seemed to be a good buy, but turned out that these are the jewels which were discarded and swept from the floor after the shifts in the jewel factory.

Here are a few of the particularly higher quality jewels that were in my vial, i cant wait to use the square ones. The steel bar and rocks are included and yes i think that is a piece of cheese in there as well.

[SpringMangler]

Those leaflets are fascinating as are the prices. Even in the late 50's early 60's some watchmaking equipment was still relatively expensive compared to salaries. 

Calculated for inflation using the Bank of England inflation calculator:

• Vibrograf B100 - 1958 £185. 2022 £3078
• Elma Junior - 1958 £95, 2022 £1724
• Longines watch Oil - 1958 £1 2s 6d, 2022 £20.41

Other items are much cheaper relatively, although we are paying over the odds today because of scarcity and reduced number of suppliers.

With the number of watch repairers that were around back in the day what sort of prices were they charging for work? Wonder how that adjusts for inflation.

 

 

[luiazazrambo]

If someone is into Russian movements:

14 minutes ago, SpringMangler said:

Those leaflets are fascinating as are the prices. Even in the late 50's early 60's some watchmaking equipment was still relatively expensive compared to salaries. 

Calculated for inflation using the Bank of England inflation calculator:

• Vibrograf B100 - 1958 £185. 2022 £3078
• Elma Junior - 1958 £95, 2022 £1724
• Longines watch Oil - 1958 £1 2s 6d, 2022 £20.41

Other items are much cheaper relatively, although we are paying over the odds today because of scarcity and reduced number of suppliers.

With the number of watch repairers that were around back in the day what sort of prices were they charging for work? Wonder how that adjusts for inflation.

 

 

Cost was always a concern, this tool sale is talking about rising prices at the beginning of 1969:

(i hope it is readable I took the pics with my mobile, it was) too big for my scanner:

[oldhippy]

Back in the 70's there was very limited leaflets and papers in which we could id Russian watch movements.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, luiazazrambo said:

If someone is into Russian movements:

Cost was always a concern, this tool sale is talking about rising prices at the beginning of 1969:

(i hope it is readable I took the pics with my mobile, it was) too big for my scanner:

These are great for identifying some unknown vintage tools. I guess we could always ask Old hippy instead.  . He does have the word OLD in his name..

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

Back in the 70's there was very limited leaflets and papers in which we could id Russian watch movements.  

Aye OH. The internet has made everyone an expert. Or so they think. Learning old school seperated those that could and those that couldn't.

Edited October 7, 2022 by Neverenoughwatches

[KarlvonKoln]

It may be a non-sequitur, but looking at these old advertisements reminded me that I like the little old-fashioned wooden cylinder-shaped boxes that some punches and bits and other tools came in.  I may at some point fit up my lathe to turn a pretty piece of wood into a box.  Not very space-saving, but they look nice and protect well.

[Mark]

That’s awesome. 
they were my go to when I worked in Bromley. Still have my original Jaxa tool I got from them. 

[luiazazrambo]

January 1961 Issue No 102

A watch cleaning machine without electricity, would come handy these days.  

The Elma Adaptor Spindle to be able to use Elma basket system with other watch cleaning machines than Elma.

 

 

March 1961 Issue No 104

Precista material assortment

Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal

Books

Prepaid Rush Order Cards

(3) Every day we receive several cards which omit the sender's name and address. In spite of our undoubted "amateur detective" abilities we cannot always establish the identity of the sender! 

Silly customers again!  

September 1962 Issue No 122

A whole issue dedicated to the "new" unbreakable watch mainspring. An interesting read.

[luiazazrambo]

April 1963 Issue No 129

Why does the truing and posing tool eliminate the danger of distortion or damage to the Balance Staff Pivots or Balance Wheel Rivets?

Smiths platform escapements.

October 1965 Issue No 159

If its a movement we case it.

December 1965 Issue No 161

 

November 1966 Issue No 172

One of those landmarks in yellow.

February 1967 Issue No 175

September 1969 Issue No 206

Edited October 10, 2022 by luiazazrambo

[luiazazrambo]

Todays topic is: Watch "Crystals" - Unbreakable Glass or Acrylic mainly fancy shaped not all SWCS related, but this is the package I found in one of my crystal box together. I have a particular interest in watch glasses, I thought it is one of the simplest watchmaking related thing I could possibly learn at the beginning of my journey. I was wrong... as usual.  

[oldhippy]

When I first started that's what we had B C L Crystals hundreds of them.