Vintage W. Watson & Sons Ltd - Bactil Mono & Binocular Microscope

Description: Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE This listing is for a very well presented vintage 1950 pattern Bactil mono/binocular microscope in black and chrome finish by Watson of London. The main instrument's manufacture dates to 1956 based on the sequential Watson production number of 119101, which is engraved onto the main optical tube. Note - both the monocular and binocular heads are non-matching numbers and have therefore been swapped over at some point in time, a not uncommon practice in medical/university labs - this instrument is actually ex Glasgow University Bacterial Science Dept. This instrument is a nice example in black with chrome-plated bright-work; it's in very good pretty-well original condition (except for the replacement heads) and benefits from a good set of period optics described below including a high-power condenser and a mechanical stage that's also in excellent condition. It presents really well with chrome that's showing hardly any signs I can find of age-related spotting, which makes this an ideal piece for a collector, or someone looking for a top quality display example of a retro instrument that's also technically sound and perfectly usable for low, medium and high-power work. This instrument is really quite a heavy-weight microscope and an excellent piece of British optical engineering. It's a prime example of the quality Watson brand with use of appropriate materials and a quality that one just doesn't find in modern instruments. This sturdy heavy-weight microscope is working well, with few signs of wear and just a little light patina to the black painted surfaces and scuffing to the stage surface which is what you'd want to see for an example that's been well used and also well looked after. It's got a great vintage look and feel and I hope that the listing photos do the instrument justice. The technical details for the Bactil include - construction is a heavy V-shaped iron foot, with twin uprights, pivot with tension lever and heavy upper limb also in iron. The stage and sub-stage fittings are all attached to the limb tail-piece in what is a very sturdy and incredibly heavy-weight design, ideally suited to the rigours of use in laboratories and educational settings. Coarse focus which is by thumb-wheel controlled rack and pinion, with smooth movement. Fine focus mechanism is a vernier screw/cam arrangement which also moves easily requiring only a light touch especially now that I've re-lubricated the mechanism. There is very little evidence of wear to the focus movements, which have also been given a sympathetic clean. The instrument also tilts for inclined viewing and can be further tightened by the limb tension lever as required. The instrument can also be used with the stage level when using the angled binocular head, which is useful if examining liquid specimens for example. Turning to the optics, this Watson Bactil is fitted with a monocular unit that's nice and clean internally, it fits into dovetails in the main tube and is tightened into place with a small chrome thumb-screw. The unit can be removed very easily for cleaning or maintenance and can of course be substituted for the binocular head as shown in the listing photos. This model is fitted with the extra-wide coarse focus thumb-wheels which allow fitting of the specific Bactil binocular head (the head is optically fine with no collimation issues) which has inter-ocular adjustment via a thumb-wheel on the right hand side and the right hand eyepiece tube can be adjusted for differential focus by twist action. The binocular unit adds +1.5x magnification. The various eyepieces supplied ares as follows: - 12x magnification - for monocular use - 6x magnification compensating - pair for binocular use (can also be used for mono) - 9x magnification very wide field - pair for binocular use (can also be used for mono) It's also got lovely clear optics and four good quality vintage objectives all by Watson. It's fitted with a Watson quadruple turret which rotates smoothly with a positive feel when the objectives are correctly aligned. The supplied objectives are as follows: - 40mm Para by Watson - 5x magnification - 16mm Para by Watson - 10x magnification - 4mm Para by Watson - 40x magnification - 2mm Para by Watson 100x magnification - oil immersion objective Overall therefore, the range of magnification provided by this Watson Bactil ranges from about 60x to a maximum of 1,350x magnification with its current compliment of lenses and when using oil immersion with the 100x objective lens and the wide-field 9x eyepieces in binocular mode. The instrument stage is a rectangular non-rotating mechanical stage which is an original Watson factory-fitted model in brass and black paint finish, known as the "flat-top" mechanical stage, which has silvered vernier scales for both axes. There's also a slide holder mechanism with two armatures fitted into a dovetail recess in the stage surface, one of which is sprung and this system is excellent for retaining slides during inclined viewing and when the axes are being moved around. The x/y controls are on the right-hand side, non-concentric and free-running, therefore offering good smooth control of specimen positioning - the y-axis also holds position on inclination and has a tightening mechanism to ensure that it holds position. Turning to the sub-stage, we have a Watson Aplanatic condenser in a ring mount with quick-release feature allowing quick changes of condenser type - I can also supply a Watson Universal condenser that will fit this instrument - see my other listings. The condenser assembly sits in a height adjustable rack and pinion carrier with centering via twin thumb-screws, a working iris with smooth action as well as double 35mm swing-out filter carriers located below.Lighting is provided via an over-size plano-concave mirror on an adjustable brass support arm and gimbal, with near perfect silvering to both sides. This instrument is quite an imposing visual treat for the eyes and it's in very good condition and latterly has been my desk-top instrument of choice - see final few listing photos. It's a rather collectable example in just the right period condition for a collector looking for a really nice retro instrument at an attractive price point, especially with both mono and bino options covered. There's no storage case with this example at the present time. Owing to the weight and delicacy of the microscope, it will be partially dismantled, very well wrapped for shipping and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds. Anyone who's bought instruments from me previously will know that I take great care and pride in packing and shipping items including both domestic and international services. Overseas buyers please use the eBay Global Shipping option if available for your territory, or contact seller for options and costs. Please study the photos as they also form part of the description. Thanks for looking - please also check out my other listings if you get a chance.

Price: 235 GBP

Location: Glasgow

End Time: 2025-01-27T14:51:06.000Z

Shipping Cost: 115.45 GBP