Longines, "West End Watch Co." extremely rare (1914)

London the Complex City
To understand the rich history of this unique watch we need to go back a bit into the facsinatingly rich and history of the city of London, England. It is beyond the scope of this article to understand the details of this complex city, however, here is a brief overview:
 
The name "West End" comes from a district in the west of London, north of the river Thames. Medieval London comprised two adjacent cities – the City of London in the east, and the City of Westminster in the west. Over time they came to form the centre of modern London, although each kept its own distinct character and its separate legal identity (for example, the City of London has its own police force and is a distinct county). Lying to the west of the medieval City of London, the West End is largely contained within the City of Westminster (one of the 32 London boroughs). It is close to the Palace of Westminster (now home to Parliament) and Westminiter Abbey as well as well known sites as the Trafalgar Square and of course the Piccadilly Circus and is largely contained within the City of Westminster (one of the 32 London boroughs).
 
Now back to the history of the Longines and West End Watch Co. and their relationship.  
 
A Complex History of The "Watch Company", St. Imier, Switzerland and Bombay, India 
In 1864, Alcide Constant Droz and Henry Perret of Saint-Imier in the Swiss Canton of Berne founded the watchmaking company Droz and Perret. Saint-Imier is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern (one of the 26 Cantons) in Switzerland. This company subsequently went through several changes of names and registrations and trade marks giving the Watch and brand "West End" a complex hsitorical background until in about 1886/87, MM. Amstutz and Droz, the owner of Alcide Droz & Sons, started to use the trademark, "West End Watch Company".
 
In 1884 a watch business was started in Bombay by Alcide Droz & Fils and Arnold Charpie. Some reports say that Charpie was the Indian representative of Droz, however, there is no documentation on this. The firm seems to have been a joint venture between A. Charpie and Alcide Droz, with the intention of mainly, but not exclusively, importing watches manufactured at the St Imier. It is then St. Imier which brings Longines in contact with the "West End" brand.  Before we get to the municipality of interest in Switzerland let's take a deeper looks at the events in India. 
 
 
The Indian (Bombay) representative of Swiss watch company, Alcide Droz & Sons, Arnold Charpie, realized that the Indian buyer was more likely to buy a more British sounding brand.  So The West End Watch Company, the name inspired by the above mentioned district of Central London, was established in India with branches in Bombay and Calcutta. Most of the Indian railways companies were then equipped with "West End" watches and clocks to help synchronizing what is, till today, the world’s longest rail network. By 1914, "West End" was offering solid, well made and cased Trench and Pocket Watches. Specializing in the Indian Military and Civil Services, "West End", with acceptance of the British Military, produced Trench Watches that were marked "C.S." for the Civil Service in India and "C-tailed BROADARROW-S" for Indian Military personal under British control.
 
During the First World War, the company  was the first  distributor of Swiss watches for British troops stationed in the Middle and Far East. It is believed that Lawrence of Arabia and his troops were equipped with timepieces from "West End" during this period and the watch company is said to have gained legendary status in the Far and Middle east. 
 
Most early watches bearing the "West End Watches" mark will generally have originated via the Indian market, and the firm concentrated on British colonial officials and troops. Also during World War I, a large contingent of British and Indian soldiers was sent from Bombay to the Persian Gulf to reach Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), and the "West End Watch Company" accomodated these troops with 50,000 wristwatches.
 
Once again, as it is in many cases military watch history goes hand-in-hand with watchmaking history per se. The "West End Watch Company" continues to thrive today more than a century after their creation. The modern company produces a wide variety of Swiss Made watches for the global market, made from quality components and built in their factory in Leytron, Switzerland.
 
In 1917, the West End Watch Company changed its name to "Société des Montres West End SA" and was registered in Geneva. At the same time the sub-brand "Sowar" (the cavalry man) was also registered. It is thought that the sub-brand was created in honor of the legendary Sir Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") who, along with his men, wore "West End" watches. Much of the credit for the spread of the brand's recognition has been attributed to his troops as well as the Indian armies, traveled from Tibet to Aden. How many Sowar branded watches were made before about 1940 is not known, since one authority dates watches so-branded as "mid range from about 1940." It has been pointed out to collectors that "Sewor" is a modern Chinese brand of cheap watches, not to be confused with "Sowar" West End watches.
 
The 1960 Chinese Mount Everest expedition was the first to successfully ascend Mount Everest via the North Ridge. Three members of the Chinese Everest Expedition Team, Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua reached the summit at 4:20 a.m., on 25 May. The Chinese expedition left no photographic evidence at the summit, and was originally met with skepticism. However, the international mountaineering community has generally acknowledged the result. One of the members of this expedition, Wang Fu-Zhou wore a "West End Watch" when he reached the top of Mount Everest from the North Face.
 
Check out our blog post on this cool watch: 
https://www.thebeautyoftime.com/blog
 
Refrences [if I have missed to mention an important refrence please contact me through the website]
 
A few great articles on this rich history can be read here:
 
http://www.westendwatchco.ch/milestones/20-dates
 
https://watchtime.me/life-style/vintage/article/775/west-end-longines-and-the-bengal-club
 
https://thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?/topic/109737-west-end-watch-company-a-short-history/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End_Watch_Co.
 
https://content.watchgang.com/2019/01/12/through-the-sands-of-time/