Smiths Imperial (1957)

This is an English made Smiths Imperial, dating from 1957. The case is 9 carat gold and in very good condition, it does not have any presentation inscription so it must have been a private purchase. The dial has applied gold indices and an arabic 12 marker, it has aged to a lovely off-white tone. The design and overall appearance is a really good example of late 1950s design and has a lovely feel for that period. Imperial was the designation that Smiths gave to watches which used their new and improved movement which was released in the late 1950s (the cal 104). This new production movement is a much improved piece of engineering compared to the original 1215. The movement is both reliable and easy to service. The Imperial branding was relatively short lived - it was superseded by the "Everest" branding which was used from around 1960. The movement has shock proofing which means a flexible jewel setting has been fitted to the balance staff to protect it from damage caused by sudden imp