Thomas Tompion. A fine and early 18K gold openface pair case verge watch

SIGNED THOM. TOMPION, LONDON, NO. 57, CIRCA 1696

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Thomas Tompion. A fine and early 18K gold openface pair case verge watch
Signed Thom. Tompion, London, No. 57, circa 1696
Gilt-finished verge movement, finely pierced and engraved floral and foliage decorated balance cock and foot, plain inner case, sliding winding hole cover, later white enamel dial, Roman numerals, blued steel poker and beetle hands, plain outer case, cases stamped with casemaker's initials WC and possibly with London date letter for 1696-7, movement signed and numbered
54 mm. diam.

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拍品专文

Thomas Tompion, one of the finest English clock and watchmakers of all time, is buried in the centre part of the nave of London's Westminster Abbey. The inscription on his stone (which has been re-cut) reads:
"Here lies the body of Mr Tho. Tompion who departed this life the 20th of November 1713 in the 75th year of his age. Also the body of George Graham of London watchmaker and F.R.S. who curious inventions do honour to ye British genius whose accurate performances are ye standard of mechanic skill. He died ye XVI of November MDCCLI in the LXXXVIII year of his age".

Tompion was born in 1639 at Northill in Bedfordshire, son of Thomas, a blacksmith, and his wife Margaret. Nothing is known of his early life and education but by the 1670s he was making turret and longcase clocks for the nobility. He was admitted to the Clockmakers' Company and worked on projects with the scientist Robert Hooke although he was never elected to the Royal Society. He supplied the original clocks for the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. His niece Elizabeth married clockmaker George Graham who inherited Tompion's business in 1713. Graham, as the inscription shows, was buried with Tompion in 1751.