English Made Smiths Astral "National 17" 17 Jewel 33mm Gold Plated Watch
In Just lovely condition with a Champagne dial with Gold Arabic Numerals and arrowhead markers, matching hands with red tipped sweep seconds.
Excellent crystal, and minimal plating loss - One of the best watches in the world at the time, working and keeping time - The case is 33mmx 42mm Cheltenham made watch. The Smiths Astral National 17 is a prominent, mid-century British manual-wound dress watch. Manufactured in Cheltenham, England during the 1960s, this mechanical timepiece is highly collected for its historical significance and reliable domestic craftsmanship. Movement: Calibre 60464E (or 60461E) manual, hand-wound mechanical movement. Jewels: 17 jewels featuring a center seconds design. Case Size: Typically 33mm in diameter, excluding the winding crown. Case Material: Produced in both 9ct solid yellow gold variations and cost-effective gold-plated brass cases with stainless steel backs. Dial: Elegant silvered or gold-tone sunburst dials adorned with raised, gilded Arabic numerals and triangular hour markers. The "National 17" series holds a distinct spot in British industrial history. These watches were introduced as a patriotic contribution to the mid-1960s "I'm Backing Britain" campaign. They boast the iconic "Made in England" stamp at the bottom of the dial, signifying a time when Smiths fully engineered its movements domestically before later transitioning to outsourced Swiss and Japanese parts. In the modern vintage watch market, their value relies heavily on the case material and service condition. Fully restored gold-plated iterations generally sell on platforms like Smiths Watches for around £650, while solid 9ct gold versions command higher premiums through specialist antique dealers unserviced models on auction sites like eBay UK can sometimes be found starting near £130.
English made watches with between 15 and 18 jewel movements and high-quality polished escapements, and ex-factory with screw fitted balances. these were advertised as Britain's finest watch. dating from 1951/52.
Only after the second world war – did Smiths begin to manufacture wristwatches – supported by British government finance - to fill the gaping absence of a quality watchmaker in the UK. From 1946-1970 Smiths produced a range of high quality watches from its Cheltenham factory including; the De Luxe, Astral and later the Imperial and Everest ‘range’ of watches. Smiths holds an important part of English horological history as the last English watch company of any size in a world of watches dominated by Swiss, and Japanese manufacturers.
