Important Watches
Important Watches
THOMAS TOMPION & EDWARD BANGER | A SILVER PAIR CASED VERGE WATCH, CIRCA 1704, NO.3658
Auction Closed
October 28, 01:13 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
THOMAS TOMPION & EDWARD BANGER
A SILVER PAIR CASED VERGE WATCH
CIRCA 1704, NO.3658
Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, pierced and engraved balance cock, flat steel three-arm balance, fusee and chain, Egyptian pillars, signed Tho Tompion, E. Banger, London, No. 3658
Dial: silver champlevé, Roman numerals with half hour divisions, outer Arabic minute ring, steel tulip and poker hands, gilded outer ring, cartouches to the dial centre, the upper with putti holding garlands of flowers, signed Tompion Banger, London
Case: plain silver inner case, split bezel for glass retention, the back with winding aperture, plain outer case, both cases with maker's mark WS with coronet above for William Sherwood, both cases numbered 3658
diameter of outer case 56 mm, inner case 48 mm
Towards the end of the 17th century, Tompion was employing several apprentices, the most famous of whom was Edward Banger who had been ‘turned over’ to Tompion from Joseph Ashby in 1687. Banger married Tompion’s niece Margaret Kent in 1694 and became Free of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1695. He formed a partnership with Tompion in 1701 and the clocks and watches made during this partnership are amongst the finest produced by the workshop, with great attention to detail and fine finishing. Some years later a serious quarrel appears to have taken place and after about 1708, Tompion and Banger ceased to collaborate. Whatever the reason, Tompion must have felt strongly about it as the clocks signed Tompion and Banger that remained unfinished in the workshop had the name Banger erased from the dials before they were sold.