PIONEERING INNOVATION IN RAILWAY TIMEPIECES

The West End Watch Company owes its keen reputation to the sometimes hazardous itineraries necessary to be followed to deliver the watches from Switzerland to the Indies, then to Middle East, China, and Southeast Asia. At the dawn of the 20th century, the long journey from Switzerland to Bombay was full of adventure. It involved taking the consignments by train to Marseilles, then by ship across the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Once checked, the watches were dispatched from Bombay throughout the Asian continent.

Delivering West End Watches has never been just a routine! During the Second World War, to avoid the Suez Canal and escape enemy submarines, some consignments were sent via Argentina and took one year to arrive! The anecdotes that relate the adventures of the travelers and the watches during that time are numerous; consignments torpedoed, or returned to Switzerland undamaged after coming up against closed borders. Once again, the reputation of the brand was carried wide and far by the English soldiers throughout Asia, from Burma to Japan passing through China.

Below is a example of a West End vintage watch for railway and telegraph office use. Note the letters around the dial with 'Z' for midnight, 'A' for 1am, etc. - this alphabetic code is still used today for designating goods trains based on their time of departure.

Source: Author: Shantanu Sen, 2011, available at https://www.irfca.o