There are some old things which silently scream of a past unknowable. And then, there are watches such as this simple, 7 jewel, English watch. 1905 hallmarks in a case by the English Watch Co., Henry Williamson, Proprietor. H. Williamson, also made entire watches, and the movement of this one appears to have been made by him. Though it is unmarked. The dial is marked: S. Smith & Son “The Sharing” [cross].

More interesting is the back. As we can see, this watch was presented by the boiler maker Humphrys Tennant & Co. after their product past inspection. On 4th April 1906, the Battleship Kashima made 19.24 knots with 17280 ihp. This was one of the last ships made outside of Japan. The Kashima served Japan in World War One, however, was scrapped in 1924.

Humphrys Tennant & Co. also has a connection to the Civil War in the United States, as a major ship builder to the Confederate States of America.

One question still unanswered is the identity of Mr. K. Kanamori? Clearly, a Japanese officer or official of some kind. At times I wonder what became of him after the steam trials of 1906.



Best regards,

Greg Crockett

A very interesting watch and insription...I could see someone spending some very worthwhile time researching this one.

A quick search came up with this...

Kashima (plan)FY1904 (builder)UK Armstrong (laid down)1904. 2.29 (launch)1905. 3.22 (finished)1906. 5.23 BB