395 - Thomas Tompion, London. A gilt metal pair case verge pocket watch with early balance spring

Thomas Tompion, London. A gilt metal pair case verge pocket watch with early balance spring Numbered *311, Circa 1685 Gilt fusee and chain movement with pierced and chased balance cock with foot to the edge of the top plate, signed Tho. Tompion number *311, Egyptian pillars, verge escapement, silver champlevé dial with engraved Roman hour chapter, numbered *311 on the dial plate ( under the dial)diamond half-hour marks, outer Arabic five-minute divisions, blued steel beetle and poker hands, in gold plated inner case stamped with number 311 and with casemaker's mark with coronet above letters II, the later outer case with tortoiseshell and pique decoration, dial and movement signed 55mm diameter Thomas Tompion (1639-1713) is still regarded as the father of English watch and clock making and undoubtedly is one of the most important figures in the history of horology. Born in Bedfordshire in 1639, it is still unknown when exactly he began working in London, nor to whom he was apprenticed, but we know he was first admitted to the clockmaker's company in 1671, and made free in 1674 when he was just 35. He had a meteoric rise to fame shortly after his meeting with the influential scientist Robert Hooke, who was so impressed with this 'great clockmaker', as he was so recorded in the Clockmakers’ Company Court minutes in 1671, that he introduced him to numerous important clients, including the King. Unsurprisingly, his production of watches increased considerably at this point and perhaps this is just one reason that Tompion began using a numbering system for his watches. According to his article entitled, 'The numbering of Tompion's watches, Series and System' in the June 1984 issue of Antiquarian Horology, Jeremy Evans states that, "any attempt to record or date watches produced during the period of c1682-1688 [and even perhaps there onwards] is a hazardous affair." We know that Tompion began using codes such as a number of dots or as in this case, a 'feathered cross’, and these were often stamped on either the dial plate and engraved on the top plate of his watch movements with the movement number, but there is still not a very clear consecutive pattern as to where in the series they all sit. We must therefore take into consideration the stylistic details of the balance cock, as well as any other marks to the movement or case to more accurately date the watches. The inner case of this watch is stamped with the casemakers mark II with a coronet above. In Evans’ serial number listings*, just two other early watches, Numbers 422 and 458 carry the mark, but without the coronet. The maker remains unidentified. No. 311 is not recorded in Evans’ lists, but using his deciphering of the codes from the AH article, whereby a feathered cross indicates 500, the number of this watch is in fact No. 811. Evans lists a No. 811, with a gold case and a reference to Cuss, 1971. The watch is illustrated in Early Watches ** as number 311, but with no mention of the case material. * Thomas Tompion 300 Years, Evans, Carter, Wright, pp 614-615 ** Early Watches, Country Life Collectors’ Guides, TP Camerer Cuss, p 32