Newsletter - April 2026

The Stopwatch That Helped Hunt Submarines

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary stopwatch. Solid, practical, and built to last… nothing particularly unusual.

However, pieces like this played a small but hugely important role in one of the most critical battles of the Second World War.

This particular type of stopwatch, known as the Admiralty Pattern No.6, was issued to the Royal Navy and used in conjunction with early sonar systems, known as ASDIC. Long before modern digital displays and radar screens, operators relied on sound to detect enemy submarines hidden beneath the surface.

The process was surprisingly simple. A sound pulse, often described as a “ping”, would be sent out into the water. When that sound hit a submarine, it would reflect back to the ship. The time taken for the signal to return was the key.

That’s where the stopwatch came in.

The operator would start the stopwatch the moment the signal was sent and stop it when the echo was heard. Because the speed of sound in water was known, that time could be converted into distance.

This particular stopwatch was marked with a scale in yards, allowing the user to read the approximate range of a submarine directly from the dial.

It’s a fascinating reminder of how much depended on precision. A small difference in timing could mean a significant difference in distance and, in a wartime situation, that could be the difference between a successful strike and a missed target.

Today, these stopwatches are appreciated for their engineering and history, but it’s easy to forget just how important they once were. They weren’t luxury items or collector’s pieces; they were tools used in real situations by real people.

It’s also a good example of how even the simplest-looking objects can have an extraordinary backstory. What appears to be a straightforward mechanical device was, in its time, part of a much larger system designed to detect and counter one of the greatest threats at sea.

So next time you come across an old stopwatch or watch, it’s worth taking a closer look. You never quite know where it might have been or what role it once played.

In the workshop this month - Restoring Vintage Silver Jewellery

This month we’ve been bringing a selection of vintage silver jewellery back to life. Much of it arrived showing years of wear, with deep scratches and surface marks.

Each piece was carefully worked by hand to reduce the heavier marks, before being polished and then finished in our tumbler to restore a soft, even shine. The aim was to improve the appearance while retaining the original character that makes these pieces special.

It’s a great example of how even well-worn jewellery can be given a new lease of life and enjoyed once again

Monthly spotlight - Fedex Valjoux Chronograph

This month’s featured piece is a vintage chronograph powered by the Valjoux 7733 movement, a design that helped make mechanical chronographs more widely accessible in the mid-20th century.

The 7733 has an interesting history. It was developed after Valjoux acquired the rights to chronograph movements from another Swiss maker, Venus. Building on those earlier designs, Valjoux refined the movement into something robust, reliable, and relatively simple to produce, qualities that made it a popular choice for many watch brands during the 1960s and 70s.

That same lineage would later lead to the Valjoux 7750, one of the most successful and widely used chronograph movements of all time, still in production today.

Watches like this strike a great balance between function and character. The twin sub-dials and pushers give a purposeful, tool-like feel, while the manual-wind movement offers a more hands-on experience than modern alternatives.

Originally designed as practical, everyday timepieces rather than luxury items, these chronographs represent a more understated side of Swiss watchmaking, one focused on usability and durability.