Noel E. Watson (British) joined Bapco in 1938 as a junior chemist and after several promotions became Refinery Superintendent in March 1957. Towards the end of 1959 he was appointed to a post with Caltex West in London.

He was President of Awali Golf Club in the seasons 1958/59 and early 1959/60 and donated the Watson Salver trophy just before he departed from Bahrain. This was reported in the October 14th 1959 edition of The Islander, as follows:
    Mr. Noel Watson, our Honorary President, has presented the club with a new trophy. In line with his wishes that the method of competing should take on a new form, the Committee decided to adopt similar rules to those governing the well known Varden Trophy. The Watson Trophy will therefore be awarded to the club Member who has the lowest net total for four out of five, 18 hole rounds. Likewise the Russell Cup will be awarded to the club Member who has the lowest gross total for four out of five, 18 hole rounds.
    The five 18 hole rounds will be as follows: BOAC Qualifying Round, Hayward Memorial 1st Round, Ayto, Pinhey and Ladies Qualifying Round, Kingsbury and O'Sullivan Qualifying Round, Schlumberger 1st Round.

The article announcing Noel's departure from Bapco and appointment to London was published in The Islander edition of October 28th, 1959.

The results for the winner of the first Watson Salver competition were announced in the March 23 1960 edition of The Islander as follows:
    [After playing in the Kingsbury final].... congratulations are offered to Des Younger who returned 87-16 = 71 who became the first winner of the Watson Trophy with an aggregate score of 281, second Walter Stoltz 282. Wally had some consolation, though, because he won the Russell Cup (gross prize awarded over the same series of competitions) returning an aggregate of 309 (average just over 77 gross).

By the 1962/63 season, the format had changed to bogey, which remains the format to this day. This change, it is thought, was due to two reasons:

• In 1960, the Clemitson Cup, which commenced in 1954 as an aggregate net competition, had a similar format.
• Additionally, there was an annual bogey competition lacking a matching trophy.

Until the 2011/12 season, an allowance of 3/4 handicap was used. However, since the 2013/14 season, full handicap allowance has been used. This change was introduced so that the competition would be qualifying for handicap revision purposes.