Thomas Tompion & Edward Banger

• full plate gilt movement, pierced and engraved balance cock with pierced foot, pierced Egyptian pillars, gold champlevé dial, roman numerals, blued steel beetle and poker hands • pierced bezel, later case, the back with repoussé scene depicting the Abduction of Helen, signed DP, gilt metal and fish skin outer case contemporary with the case • dial and movement signed Tompion  E Banger, London No. 235

Sotheby's 21st April 1949, lot 32.

The Marryat collection.

Evans, J., Thomas Tompion and the Dial and Three Crowns, The Antiquarian Horological Society, 2006, p.103.
Clutton & Daniels, Watches, fig. 130.

The movement is running however it would benefit from a service. The movement has been expertly fitted to a later rococo case. Dial in good condition, later bell scratched with the number 235. Outer case in good condition. Repoussé slightly rubbed. Later plastic glass.
"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.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

Thomas Tompion (1639-1713), the greatest of English clockmakers was born the son of a blacksmith at Ickfield Green, a hamlet in the parish of Northill, Bedfordshire. It seems that he was trained, with his younger brother James, in the art of blacksmithing.

Very little is known of Tompion's early life but it is likely that he was involved, at some time, in the repair of the local church clock as this was usually blacksmith's work; perhaps from this developed his passion for horology. There is no record of Thomas Tompion serving as an apprentice in a clockmaker's workshop but on September 4, 1671 he was admitted to the Clockmakers' Company and became Master in 1704.

Tompion employed several apprentices, the most famous of whom was Edward Banger who married Tompion's niece in 1694 and became Free of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1695. He formed a partnership with Tompion in 1701 but some years later a serious quarrel appears to have taken place and, after about 1708, they ceased to collaborate. The cause of the quarrel is not known but could possibly have been the result of rivalry between Banger and George Graham. The latter had worked as a journeyman in Tompion's workshop since 1696 and had married another of his nieces. He was taken into partnership by Tompion in 1710 and succeeded to the business on Tompion's death in November 1713.

A repoussé case also signed DP is illustrated in R. Edgcumbe, The Art of the Gold Chaser in Eighteenth-Century London (Oxford, 2000), fig.124a and b, and p.133.