William Mansell have over 140 years of expert knowledge in the field of
repair and restoration. All work is carried out in our own workshops,
combining traditional craftsmanship with the latest technology.

Estimates for repair and restoration are free on inspection whether you
visit us personally or send by post. House and office visits can also be
arranged.

We receive and dispatch many repairs by post and courier worldwide.
Turn round of watch repairs is approximately 2 weeks unless parts have
to be obtained from other sources. Repair timescales on other items such
as clocks, silverware and jewellery can vary depending on the nature of
the work required. We will fax or email you a receipt of the sent item,
followed by an estimate for repair and approximate delivery timescale.

 Clocks and Watches

Every clock and watch movement is repaired and overhauled as required,
replacement parts are handmade as necessary, using materials, tools and
techniques appropriate to its age and style. Every full service will
naturally receive a twelve month guarantee. All styles of Antique and
Modern clocks, barometers, barographs, chronographs etc. are welcome
including the rare and unusual.

All styles of Vintage and Modern wrist watches, pocket watches and stop
watches are welcome, premium brands (Rolex, Patek Phillipe etc) being
our speciality.

Dial and casework restoration

Water resistance testing

Batteries, straps and bracelets

Valuations

 Jewellery & Silverware

All styles of Modern and Antique jewellery can be repaired, restored and
remounted

Creators of fine, exclusive and unique designs to commission

Pearl and bead restringing

Gold and silver plating

William Mansell had his first plating works at 11 Sovereign Mews in the early 1900's and following its demolition in the 1930's for the building of the Art Deco apartment block Park West, the plating works moved to Paddington Mews. Most articles can be plated, even non-metallic items such as your baby's first shoe, and once a copper base has been achieved, an article can be plated with virtually any finish required, be it gold, silver, rhodium, bronze, steel, brass etc etc.

Engraving

Valuations

John Harwood  Inventor of Self Winding (Automatic) Wrist Watches

The idea of automatic winding dates back to the 1770's when it was first tried out by Swiss watchmaker Abram-Louis Perrelet (1729-1826), but it was first applied to wristwatches by John Harwood (1893-1964) in 1922.

Harwood, a watchmaker of Bolton, Lancashire, had for some years, before taking out his patent of 1924, considered the possibility and the advantages of automatic winding. These advantages include the improved maintenance of the balance amplitude, through the continuously wound state of the mainspring, and the exclusion of dirt by dispensing with the winding stem. The weight, which was to be oscillated by the movement of the wrist and so wind the spring, was, in the early experiments, pivoted near the edge of the movement after the manner of Breguet. This arrangement proved unsatisfactory and the weight was then pivoted at the centre of the movement. This position is now accepted by many makers as the most satisfactory. The hands were set by rotating the knurled bezel and so the stem was eliminated.

Harwood took his watch to Switzerland with the hope of persuading Swiss manufacturers to produce it in quantity. The Swiss, with a conservatism that rivalled that of the early English makers, saw no future for the invention, and Harwood returned disappointed to England.

Back in England he had the good fortune to secure enough capital to cover the cost of tools and labour for a new effort to start manufacture and, thus ensured against financial loss, the firm of A. Schild S.A. of Switzerland undertook the manufacture of the watch. Its production entailed many problems which Harwood's application and energy eventually overcame. This effort culminated in his personal assembly of the first three dozen movements. With success in the venture seeming certain, factories were established in France and America, with a head office in London. It was a cruel blow to a spirited and determined enterprise when the world trade slump of 1931 caused the company to cease activities.

The Autorist wristwatch, an earlier invention by Harwood, relied upon the movement of the wrist, causing the strap to pull against a pivoted retainer, in turn connected to a lever within the movement which kept the mainspring fully wound. Not as successful as his later invention, it was never developed further.

John Harwood was awarded the Gold Medal of the British Horological Institute in 1957 for his development of the automatic watch. He died in August 1964.