Thomas Tompion gilt metal pair case verge pocket watch, c. 1685
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Circa 1685
This is a 17th-century English pair case verge pocket watch by the renowned maker Thomas Tompion, London, dating to approximately 1685. The watch features a gilt fusee and chain movement equipped with an early balance spring and a verge escapement.
The movement is distinguished by its pierced and chased balance cock with a foot extending to the edge of the top plate, along with Egyptian-style pillars. The dial is made of silver champlevé, featuring an engraved Roman numeral hour chapter, diamond half-hour markers, and an outer ring for five-minute Arabic numeral divisions. It is fitted with blued steel beetle and poker hands. The inner case is gold-plated, while the later outer protective case is finished with tortoiseshell and pique decoration.
The watch has a diameter of 55mm. Both the dial and the internal movement plate are signed by the maker. The watch is marked with the number 311, though historical research suggests a potential serial number interpretation of 811.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Diameter
- 55mm
- Materials
- gilt metal, silver, gold-plated, tortoiseshell
Technical characteristics
- Movement
- gilt fusee and chain with early balance spring
- Escapement
- verge
Design
- Dial
- silver champlevé with Roman hour chapter and Arabic five-minute divisions
- Hands
- blued steel beetle and poker
- Decoration
- pierced and chased balance cock, tortoiseshell and pique outer case
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Thomas Tompion
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.