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Ingersoll I00401B The Herald Automatic Brown Leather Strap Watch - W4956
Ref. I00401B
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Stepping up in Ingersoll's range
The Herald sits within Ingersoll's 1892 revival lineup, a range built to bring mechanical skeleton work to a wider audience than traditionally offered it. This reference updates the earlier Herald design while keeping the same DNA: a 40mm openworked dial in rose gold tones, a small seconds sub-dial, and baton indices, all oriented around letting you watch the movement work rather than concealing it. At 13mm thick it is not a slim watch, but 54g on the wrist means it carries lighter than its proportions suggest, and the crocodile-embossed calfskin strap with its deployant clasp holds the case securely without the kind of wobble a plain pin buckle allows. The unbranded 22-jewel automatic inside winds from wrist motion and delivers exactly what this category promises: visible mechanical motion, rose-gold bridges and a sweeping balance wheel through both the open front and the exhibition caseback. It is not a movement built for chronometric precision, and that is not the reason to own one.
- Reference
- I00401B
- Brand
- Ingersoll
- Collection
- The Herald
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 13mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Rose gold PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Rose gold
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- Small seconds, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Weight
- 54g
Learn more about Ingersoll
Charles and Robert Ingersoll started selling watches by mail order from New York in 1892, and in 1896 introduced the Yankee at one dollar. It was the first watch a working American could simply buy, and it sold in enormous numbers — the company's slogan, that it was the watch that made the dollar famous, was barely an exaggeration.
Volume on that scale changed the industry. Ingersoll sold tens of millions of watches, produced the first Mickey Mouse watch in 1933 under licence from Disney, and for a time was among the largest watch companies in the world.
The American business did not survive the century intact, and the name passed through several hands. It is now owned by a British company, which relaunched it in 2016 around mechanical watches rather than the cheap quartz the name had drifted into.
The modern collection leans on automatics with open dials and prominent date and day complications, priced in the low hundreds. It has little manufacturing continuity with the original firm, but the name and the Yankee heritage are genuine.
- 1892
- The Ingersoll brothers begin selling watches by mail order.
- 1896
- The Yankee sells for one dollar.
- 1933
- Produces the first Mickey Mouse watch.
- 1968
- The original American company is broken up.
- 2016
- Relaunched under British ownership around mechanical watches.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,868), Automatic Watches (1,750), Leather Strap Watches (1,037), Dress Watches (557), Automatic Watches Under £500 (336) and Skeleton Watches (316).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Ingersoll I00401B The Herald alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | I00401B | TW2W68800 | RGB10010/06 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £225 | £225 | £230 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 40 hours | 42 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
It can, over time. Mineral glass handles daily wear but will pick up fine scratches that sapphire would not.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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