Watson & Sons brass compound microscope · c. 1895
London-made brass compound scope, serial 8842, on Watson's stiff-limb stand. Three original objectives, all clean.
- SKU
- MS-SC-1001
- Era
- Pre-1900
- Condition
- Fully working, all three objectives clear and correctly centered
- Dimensions
- 14" tall on stand, case 15" × 8" × 8"
- Weight
- 11 lbs (scope), 18 lbs cased
- Provenance
- From the estate of a retired pathologist, Grantchester, 2019
- Category
- Scientific Instruments
- Tags
- microscopewatson-sonsbrassvictoriancased
A Watson & Sons of London compound microscope, serial 8842, made around 1895. Solid brass throughout with the maker's signature stiff-limb stand and rack-and-pinion fine focus. All three original objectives — 2/3, 1/6, and 1/12 oil — are clear and correctly centered.
It has lived on a Cambridge histologist's desk for most of the twentieth century, judging by the ink stains on the mahogany case and a 1927 dating slip glued inside the lid. The mirror gimbals are tight, the substage condenser racks smoothly, and the coarse focus has none of the play that afflicts most survivors of this age.
Supplied in its original dovetailed mahogany case with brass carrying handle and the maker's trade label largely intact.
Related finds
More from Scientific Instruments →
Forty-eight diatom slides in a fitted mahogany cabinet. Hand-lettered species labels, one drawer of arranged mounts.
Black-crackle finish dissecting scope with paired paddle mirrors and rotating stage plate. Serial dated to 1932.
London Fortin mercury barometer in mahogany cabinet. Mercury intact, reads within 0.5mb of modern reference.