Movement record · United Kingdom

Smiths 0104

Partially verified

One of the last all-British mass-produced wristwatch movements, made at Cheltenham; later Smiths production increasingly used imported or partially imported content.

Technical specifications

Diameter: Approx. 28 mm class
Height: Approx. 5 mm class
Jewels: 15–17 jewels depending on version
Frequency: 18,000 vph
Power reserve: Approx. 40 hours (period figures vary)
Winding: Hand-wound
Setting: Stem setting
Escapement: English lever
Balance: Monometallic
Complications: None

Identification features

'Smiths' and 'Made in England' markings
Distinctive English finishing style differing from Swiss ébauches
Military broad-arrow markings on issued examples

Known variants

Jewel-count and finish grades
Military-issue variants

Servicing notes

Cleaning, lubrication, mainspring and pivot work belong with a qualified watchmaker working from calibre-specific documentation. Conserve original parts: replacing a worn component with a modern substitute changes the object, and refinishing plates or dials destroys evidence.

General guidance only. Antique movements should be serviced by a qualified watchmaker.

Historical significance

The 0104 family marks the end of large-scale English watch movement manufacture; its decline in the face of Swiss competition is a central episode in twentieth-century British industrial history.

Diagram

Schematic: plate and bridge layout. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
Period trade material catalogues and calibre reference compilations (edition-dependent)
Published manufacturer technical documentation where available

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.