This polarized light compound microscope was made by the optical firm of W. Watson & Sons of London according to the design requested by Dr. Henri Van Heurck, Professor of Botany in Antwerp. According to Van Heurck, ". . . we have endeavored to combine convenience for ordinary work, with the utmost possible precision, at a comparatively low price." It sold for 15 English pounds.

It is a compound monocular mounted on a very sturdy tripod, each leg having a circular disk at the foot. This is a polarized light microscope. Light polarization is achieved using a Nicol Prism. There is one in the eyepiece ("analyzer") and another in the condenser.

It is described in detail in Van Heurck's book, The Microscope (English edition published in 1893), along with a precise full-page engraving of the microscope. Although it is signed W. Watson & Sons, London, it is not dated. It can be estimated as having been made in the period between 1890-1906 since this design was continued relatively unchanged for a number of years. According to the Watson catalog of that period, it was their most popular microscope.