Introducing: The DENCO53 By Dennison, A New Field Watch From A Reborn English Manufacturer (With A UK-Made Case)

May 09, 2016

If you own a Rolex Precision made in the 1950s, theres a good chance the case was made by the Dennison Watch Case Co. Lest we forget, those were the days when in-house was neither the norm nor the objective. Instead, specialists supplied parts and Dennisons cases were some of the most popular choices for Swiss watchmakers. Orders came in from Omega, Tudor, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and from fellow Brits, including Smiths Watches and J.W. Benson. But, in 1965, production came to an abrupt end. Fifty years later, the British company is back, this time as a watchmaker, and it will be importing ETA movements to power its own collection. But, before we get into the novelties, lets pause to look at Dennisons history. Franklin Dennison and his son Gilbert incorporated the Dennison Watch Case Co. Ltd. in 1905, although the firm's history goes back considerably further. ?Founder Aaron Lufkin Dennison was an American (1812-1895) who was heavily involved in the early decades of the company that would eventually become the American Waltham Watch Company. ?Due to a series of business reversals which led to his leaving the nascent Waltham company, he found himself first in Zurich, importing movements, and then in Birmingham, England, where he founded a watch casemaking firm in about 1874. ?This was the company that would become the Dennison Watch Case Co. Ltd. Under the Dennison family, the company quickly grew to become the largest manufacturer of watch cases throughout Europe, supplying the British military as well as special expeditions. By the 1920s production of cases rose to 250,000 pieces per annum, and soon afterwards, the company launched its own line of watches, supplied with Swiss-made movements, under the DENCO name. However, the companys director, Arthur Dennison, decided to halt production on the eve of WWII and the factory joined the largest industrial mobilization of the 20th century, by turning production to military equipment for the British Royal Air Force C which Arthur Dennison joined during the war. Shortly after the Paris Peace Treaties, production of cases resumed, and big contracts were signed with Omega for its new Automatic, as well as Rolex and Tudor. But its most famous case would be the Aquatite, a waterproof case made for Smiths Watches C a British watchmaker C which offered the movement full protection from extreme temperatures, damp, and shock. In 1953, a Dennison Aquatite case would pass a grueling endurance test, when Sir Edmund Hilary wore one on his successful summit of Everest C a remarkable human achievement, which he recorded a few months later in a letter addressed to Smiths. "I carried your watch to the summit," Hilary wrote. No doubt he would have tweeted it immediately had this been 2016. The Dennison family is no longer associated with the eponymous British company, though its revival is appropriately led by a man who has spent the past decade deeply involved in vintage watches, occasionally getting his hands on Tudors and other watches with Dennison cases. Few know the current value of the Dennison name better than Toby Sutton. The director of Watches of Knightsbridge (WOK), a specialist auctioneer based in London, Sutton has been collecting Dennison-cased watches for many years and has enough pieces today for a small exhibition. In fact, they were on display a few weeks ago when Dennison announced the new collection. To inaugurate the revival of the brand C which keeps its home in England C Sutton, and Dennison, have decided, wisely, to stick with a familiar design, made by one of its former clients. While the DENCO53 is said to be inspired by 1950s dress watches at large, the resemblance between it and this vintage Tudor Oysterdate is uncanny. In fact, the very same reference came through WOKs doors last year. Most of the features are identical, from the honeycomb dial to the dagger batons and Arabic numerals at 6, 9, and 12 oclock, the Dauphine hands, and the case and bezel C which is a three-piece screw back and bezel case. Of course, one was made almost 70 years ago, while the other is no older than my last pair of jeans. However, youd be impressed at how difficult it is to tell them apart from a distance. Beyond the aged look of the hands and the indexes, what it does successfully is respect the size of watches it tries to emulate. While the vast majority of modern "vintage" watches achieve the desired look, their true age is so often betrayed by their contemporary size. This isnt the case (pardon the pun) with the DENCO53. The watch measures 38 mm, although the size of the bezel, proportionate to the dial, beefs up the look of the watch. Inside, it houses an ETA 2824-2 movement, (25.6mm x 4.6mm) that also powers the Tudor Heritage Black Bay and Tag Heuers Carrera Calibre 5, and provides approximately 38 hours of power reserve. ?The cases, however, are according to Dennison made entirely in the UK, from 316L stainless steel, and have drilled lugs to facilitate changing straps (always a nice touch in a field watch). Given Dennisons lengthy hiatus C almost 51 years C it is perhaps not surprising to learn of some ?tweaks in the design. Certain features have been dropped, such as the initials of the brands founder, Aaron Lufkin Dennison, which had been engraved inside the case back for most of the companys history until the custom stopped shortly before Dennison was closed. For continuitys sake, explained Mr. Sutton, those three letters will remain absent from the case. Its safe to say that very few field watches get to see the mountains. Dennisons DENCO53 C which is named after its first watch line and the year man tamed Everest C is already proving its mettle on the wrist of Jon Gupta, a British mountaineer and Everest alumnus. Following in Sir Edmund Hilarys footsteps, Gupta has been testing one of Dennisons prototype C a silver dial version C and subjecting it to extreme weather conditions and snowy pinnacles in the Alps. In addition, Jon Gupta has asked Dennison to engrave his blood type on the side of the case in case of emergency. Two dial variations, black or silver, are offered with the DENCO53. Guptas personal choice is the silver. Note, the other features remain identical in both options. There is also a third watch, the DENCO53E, with a black dial, polished bezel and case band, and polished steel batons and Arabic numerals. List price for both DENCO53 options is 2,400 (or approximately $3,500), while the DENCO53E is a tad more expensive at 2,800 (or $4,050).For more on Dennison Watches, click here.For your mobile reading pleasure, with years of archived watch content plus new stories, breaking news, and access to great new features like HODINKEE Live, download the HODINKEE mobile app, free on iOS.