West End Watch Co.: history, models and value

Founded

1886

Founder(s)

Arnold Amstutz, Constant Droz (Alcide Droz & Sons)

Headquarters

Leytron (Valais)

Owner / group

Independent (Monnat family)

West End Watch Co.: origins and founding

The brand goes back to the watch firm Alcide Droz & Sons of Saint-Imier in the Swiss Jura. Its representative in Bombay, Arnold Charpié, suggested the name after London's fashionable West End district. In 1886 Arnold Amstutz and Constant Droz took over the trademark, and the first West End watches were made and sold in India that year. In 1917 the company was registered in Geneva as Société des Montres West End SA.

West End Watch Co. history and milestones

• 1900s: Most Indian railway companies used West End watches and clocks, and government departments did too.
• 1914: According to the brand, it made 50,000 wristwatches for soldiers of the British Indian Army sent to Mesopotamia (today's Iraq).
• 1917: The Sowar name was registered.
• 1920s: West End became the largest Swiss watch brand in India, with offices in Bombay and Calcutta.
• 1934: The brand says it was the first to use the Incabloc shock protection in series.
• 1960: Chinese climber Wang Fu-Zhou wore a West End watch on the first ascent of Everest from the north side.
• 1973: Aubry Brothers Ltd bought the company.
• 1996: The Sowar 2000 automatic was introduced.
• 2001: The Monnat family took over and moved the company to Leytron in Valais.

Famous West End Watch Co. models

• Sowar: the best-known line, named after elite troops of the Indian army and still made today, including the Sowar Prima and Sowar 1916.
• Queen Anne: an old name that returned in 2009 as an 18ct gold collection.
• Keepsake, Standard, Extra and Sillidar: older names under which West End watches were sold until about the mid-20th century.
• The Impermeable: a diver's watch from 2016, named after an early waterproof watch by Alcide Droz & Sons.

West End Watch Co. today

The company is privately owned by the Monnat family and based in Leytron in the canton of Valais, where it doubled its factory in 2014. Asia and the Middle East remain important markets, and the brand has a long partnership with the Behbehani family in Kuwait.

West End Watch Co. prices on the pre-owned market

West End made very large numbers of watches; in the 1970s output passed one million mechanical watches per year. Most vintage pieces are therefore affordable. Interest is higher for early military and railway-related watches, early wristwatches with original dials, gold pieces and watches in very good, unrestored condition. Many vintage West Ends from India have repainted dials, which lowers their value.

How to recognise a genuine West End Watch Co.

Check that the dial, movement and case all belong together. Original dials show crisp printing of "West End Watch Co." and, where relevant, "Sowar". Redials are common on vintage pieces from India, so be careful with dials that look too fresh on an old, worn case. Our guide explains how to spot a fake watch.

What is your West End Watch Co. worth?

Send us photos of the dial, the case and, if possible, the movement for a free watch value estimate. If you need a signed document for an estate or insurance, you can order a watch appraisal.

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