Enjoy Watches

Brand history & owner guide

Charles Frodsham & Co.

Charles Frodsham is a British watch and chronometer maker whose business dates to 1834. Its modern double impulse wristwatch draws on George Daniels’s escapement design and Derek Pratt’s suggestion to use it in a wristwatch. 12

This profile covers the maker’s identity, history and documented work. A complete model catalogue is being researched separately.

At a glance

Subject
Confirmed Horological Business 12
First documented date
1834 — Business origin 12
Documented work
Double Impulse Chronometer Wristwatch 1

Why the name matters

Specialist reporting dates Charles Frodsham’s business to 1834, while Companies House records incorporation of the limited company on 25 July 1893. The 2018 account credits Derek Pratt with suggesting use of George Daniels’s double-impulse escapement; Frodsham’s wristwatch realization is not invention of that escapement principle.

SJX described Philip Whyte and Richard Stenning as owners in 2018; that historical description must not replace the later PSC register. The current PSC register lists Anthony John Kingsley with more than 50% but less than 75% of shares and voting rights, and Philip William Tennant Whyte with more than 25% but no more than 50%. 125

The work and why it matters

Charles Frodsham & Co. is a documented English horological business; the current registered company is CHARLES FRODSHAM & CO LIMITED, number 00039315. Charles Frodsham established his own business after apprenticeship to his father William, according to The Naked Watchmaker’s historical account.

That account records Frodsham’s acquisition of the Arnold business in 1843, operation at 84 Strand and use of Arnold & Frodsham until 1858. The same biography describes acquisition of the Vulliamy business after Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy’s death and a royal clock-keeping role. 123

People, production and attribution

The official heritage chronology associates the & Co. style with 1884 and incorporation with 1893. Companies House lists CHARLES FRODSHAM & CO LIMITED as active; active registration alone does not verify current workshop output or delivery performance.

The register gives PSC notification dates of 27 January 2023 for Kingsley and 6 April 2016 for Whyte; notification dates are not independently established acquisition dates. The Double Impulse Chronometer Wristwatch was introduced in 2018 after a reported sixteen-year development period. 4251

Continuity and the record today

The 2018 report identifies a London premises at 32 Bury Street and a workshop outside London; those are dated business locations, not a verified 2026 workshop address. A genuine horological business with a separately documented limited-company identity. Distinguish the 1834 business origin, 1893 incorporation, historical acquisitions and present registered control. 12

Key dates

  1. 1834

    Business origin

    Specialist reporting dates Charles Frodsham’s business to 1834, while Companies House records incorporation of the limited company on 25 July 1893. 12

  2. 1843

    Arnold business acquired

    That account records Frodsham’s acquisition of the Arnold business in 1843, operation at 84 Strand and use of Arnold & Frodsham until 1858. 3

  3. 1858

    End of Arnold & Frodsham trading style in the biography

    That account records Frodsham’s acquisition of the Arnold business in 1843, operation at 84 Strand and use of Arnold & Frodsham until 1858. 3

  4. 1884

    & Co. style in official chronology

    The official heritage chronology associates the & Co. style with 1884 and incorporation with 1893. 4

  5. 1893-07-25

    Limited company incorporated

    Specialist reporting dates Charles Frodsham’s business to 1834, while Companies House records incorporation of the limited company on 25 July 1893. 12

Ownership and continuity

That account records Frodsham’s acquisition of the Arnold business in 1843, operation at 84 Strand and use of Arnold & Frodsham until 1858. 3

Watchmakers and designers linked to Charles Frodsham & Co.

These people have a sourced relationship to this brand in the Enjoy Watches register. The label beside each name states the relationship recorded; it should not be read as a broader employment or ownership claim.

Identification and service

For an individual watch, record the complete reference, serial, dial, case, and movement markings and compare them with dated primary documentation.

A brand history cannot authenticate, appraise, or establish the provenance of a particular watch.

Evidence and limits

How the claims are supported
  1. verified fact

    Charles Frodsham & Co. is a documented English horological business; the current registered company is CHARLES FRODSHAM & CO LIMITED, number 00039315.

  2. verified fact

    Specialist reporting dates Charles Frodsham’s business to 1834, while Companies House records incorporation of the limited company on 25 July 1893.

  3. verified fact

    Charles Frodsham established his own business after apprenticeship to his father William, according to The Naked Watchmaker’s historical account.

  4. verified fact

    That account records Frodsham’s acquisition of the Arnold business in 1843, operation at 84 Strand and use of Arnold & Frodsham until 1858.

  5. verified fact

    The same biography describes acquisition of the Vulliamy business after Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy’s death and a royal clock-keeping role.

  6. source stated claim

    The official heritage chronology associates the & Co. style with 1884 and incorporation with 1893.

  7. verified fact

    Companies House lists CHARLES FRODSHAM & CO LIMITED as active; active registration alone does not verify current workshop output or delivery performance.

  8. verified fact

    The current PSC register lists Anthony John Kingsley with more than 50% but less than 75% of shares and voting rights, and Philip William Tennant Whyte with more than 25% but no more than 50%.

  9. verified fact

    The register gives PSC notification dates of 27 January 2023 for Kingsley and 6 April 2016 for Whyte; notification dates are not independently established acquisition dates.

  10. verified fact

    SJX described Philip Whyte and Richard Stenning as owners in 2018; that historical description must not replace the later PSC register.

  11. verified fact

    The Double Impulse Chronometer Wristwatch was introduced in 2018 after a reported sixteen-year development period.

  12. verified fact

    The 2018 account credits Derek Pratt with suggesting use of George Daniels’s double-impulse escapement; Frodsham’s wristwatch realization is not invention of that escapement principle.

  13. verified fact

    The 2018 report identifies a London premises at 32 Bury Street and a workshop outside London; those are dated business locations, not a verified 2026 workshop address.

  14. reasonable inference

    A genuine horological business with a separately documented limited-company identity. Distinguish the 1834 business origin, 1893 incorporation, historical acquisitions and present registered control.

Known limits

  • This identity dossier is not a complete catalogue of every watch or reference.

Direct sources

  1. Charles Frodsham Introduces the Long-Awaited Double Impulse Chronometer WristwatchSJX Watches · original watch reporting and interview · accessed September 15, 2026

    Locator: 1834 history, 2018 ownership, Derek Pratt/George Daniels and modern wristwatch; lines 80–150.. External source.

  2. CHARLES FRODSHAM & CO LIMITED — Company number 00039315Companies House · government company registry · accessed September 15, 2026

    Locator: Overview: name, active status, incorporation 25 July 1893; lines 24–34.. External source.

  3. Charles Frodsham — An Entrepreneurial WatchmakerThe Naked Watchmaker · referenced specialist historical biography · accessed September 15, 2026

    Locator: Own business, Arnold acquisition and trading style, Vulliamy; lines 18–24; references 32–37.. External source.

  4. HeritageCharles Frodsham & Co. · official company history · accessed September 15, 2026

    Locator: Indexed chronology: 1884 & Co. style and 1893 incorporation.. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

  5. CHARLES FRODSHAM & CO LIMITED — Persons with significant controlCompanies House · government company control registry · accessed September 15, 2026

    Locator: Two active PSC records: Anthony John Kingsley and Philip William Tennant Whyte; lines 27–73.. External source.

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