Beautiful 1908 Gold filled Prescot Pocket Watch by The Lancashire Watch Company Ltd

Lovely Prescot Pocket Watch by The Lancashire Watch Company Ltd, dating back to 1908. Manufactured by the Lancashire Watch Company, which operated from 1889 to 1910 with the intention of competing with major American and Swiss watch manufacturers. Information from the archives about this watch: 874720 is listed as a "16sz Vigil O Face" 16sz - this is the size, 16 being a medium/large size watch, with the movement measuring 4.32cm in diameter. Vigil - this is the name they gave to this type of movement. O Face – this stands for Open Face, which means that it hangs from the 12 o’clock position and you can see the whole of the face when it is in its case. It’s a keyless movement, stem set and stem wound (like a wristwatch, except that the crown is at the 12 o’clock position), with offset seconds in a subsidiary dial. It has a bi-metallic compensated balance, made of two fine rings of brass and steel. Changes in temperature/conditions cause metals to expand and contract and this in turn would affect the regularity of the swing of the balance, so by having a balance made of two metals, it helps it cope better with any changes and in turn helps the watch keep time. It also has lots of tiny brass screws in it that are weights to even out the forces and regulate the swing of the balance, each added individually and screwed in to the perfect depth/location for that particular movement. Purchase ledger is dated 14th December 1908. The buyer is listed as a W.H. Thompson, invoiced on either 18th July 1909. The case is made by Dennison, a Birmingham company which Lancashire Watch Company bought many cases from to sell their movements in. It is a gold-filled case, it is a sandwich of metals, with the outer layers in gold – the thicker the layer, the longer-lasting and more expensive. Dennison did three grades of gold-filled case: Star (guaranteed to wear 10 years) Other markings being service notes - it looks like it's been very well looked-after.