Daniel Quare, London

Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and engraved masked balance cock, flat three-arm balance with spring, fusee and chain, gilt metal dust ring, polished steel hammers repeating on a bell to the inside case back, round baluster pillars, signed and numbered D. Quare, London, 237
Dial: silver champlevé, Roman numerals with half hour divisions between and to the ring beneath, outer Arabic minute ring, blued steel beetle and poker hands, outer gilded ring, fan-form aperture for regulation, the central cartouches with scrolling foliage to the borders, signed Quare, London
Case: silver case, the band with engraved decoration of scrolling foliage inhabited by birds and pierced for sound emission, a lakeside townscape beneath the pendant, grotesque mask to the base, stirrup bow, case maker's mark WI incuse for William Jaques and numbered 237 • silver outer case with symmetrically arranged pierced roundels of varying sizes to front and back bezels, pulse piece to the band between 6 and 7 o'clock, maker's mark AR conjoined in cameo for Adam Roumieu and scratch numbered 237

With an 18th century cut steel chatelaine, with seal, hinged crank key and later brass key

Sotheby's London, 3rd October 1996, lot 13

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 142-143, pl. 73

Movement not running and not repeating, mainspring appears to have gone but movement appears to be otherwise complete, pendant is depressed. Dial with tarnishing and some light scuffs and scratches. Inner case with light scuffs and scratches, a couple of minor and small indentations to the back, outer case with rubbing and some loss of definition to some of the roundels, light scuffs and scratches.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

Most unusually for a repeating watch, the silver champlevé dial of the present piece has an aperture for regulation with corresponding setting square. The blued steel hands are intricate in design and beautifully made. Quare is known to have had two numbering series for his watches, one of which appears to have been reserved for his repeaters. Both the style and number of this watch would suggest a date of execution around 1705, although it is possible that it was made a little earlier.

Daniel Quare (c.1647/8-1724) was born in Somerset.  A highly esteemed watchmaker, Quare was admitted to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1671, later becoming Master in 1708.  Quare established himself as an important horological innovator by inventing a type of repeating work around 1680. Whilst Quare was developing his repeating mechanism, his rival, the Revd. Edward Barlow, was developing his own version. Barlow had invented the rack form of striking in 1676 and, in 1685, Thomas Tompion made a watch for Barlow that incorporated the latter’s repeating system. Three years later, in 1688, Daniel Quare and Edward Barlow presented their different forms of repeating watches to King James II in order that he might declare which he regarded the superior. The King favoured Quare’s form, noting that Barlow’s required two pushers, one for the hour strike and one for the quarters, whilst Quare’s single push-piece activated both the hours and quarters.  

As a Quaker, Quare was unable to be appointed Royal Clockmaker, however, as Cedric Jagger notes in his book Royal Clocks, Quare “was given free access via the Back Stairs.” Indeed, Quare was well connected both at home and abroad, a fact borne out by the impressive wedding guest lists of his daughters Anne and Elizabeth, which boasted noble families and envoys from around Europe. In 1718 Quare went into partnership with Stephen Horseman, after which their work was signed ‘Quare & Horseman’. Daniel Quare is buried at the Quakers’ cemetery at Bunhill Fields, Finsbury.