Thomas Tompion, London

• Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and floral engraved balance cock, flat steel three-arm balance with spring, the balance with pierced ruby bearings to top and bottom and with polished countersinks above and below, diamond endstone, further diamond endstone in dovetail piece to bottom potence, unusual gilt-brass screw-set cap to cock, fusee and chain, Egyptian and round baluster pillars, repeating with two polished steel hammers on a bell to the inside of the case, signed and numbered T. Tompion, London, 307
• Dial: gold champlevé, Roman numerals with half hour divisions between and to the ring beneath, outer Arabic minute ring, blued steel beetle and poker hands, cartouches to the dial centre, the upper having putti holding garlands of flowers, signed Tompion, London
• Cases: gold inner with pierced band for sound emission decoratively engraved with foliage inhabited by birds, a pastoral scene beneath the pendant and a pair of trumpeting angels either side of a scene of a fisherman beside a lake at the base, stirrup bow and plunge pendant, numbered 307, hallmarked 1708 and with maker's mark WS incuse for William Sherwood • gold outer case, the back with decoratively pierced decoration engraved with foliage, birds, dolphins, a grotesque mask, a classical head, two winged putti either side of a pastoral scene by the thumb piece, two winged half figures either side of a scene of a fisherman beside a lake at the square hinge, bezel further pierced and engraved with foliage and birds, pulse piece to the band by 5 o'clock, hallmarked 1709 and with maker's mark WS incuse for William Sherwood       

Sotheby’s London, 7^th June, 1955
Sotheby's Zurich, 16th November 1973

Jeremy Evans, Thomas Tompion at the Dial and Three Crowns, 2006, p. 103
Terence Camerer Cuss, Daniel Quare 324, Antiquarian Horology, No. 6, Vol. 33, December 2012
Jeremy Evans, Jonathan Carter & Ben Wright, Thomas Tompion 300 Years, 2013, p. 629

Movement running and repeating at time of cataloguing, pulse piece does not appear to be working. Bell probably replaced. The three blank holes at the edge of the backplate were presumably originally for retaining a dust ring around the movement which is now lacking (see Tompion no. 328) in this sale. Dial in refreshed condition with light scuffs and some light scratches. Case with light scratches and indentations, solder repair to the pierced decoration below 6 o'clock, some rubbing to engraved decoration but this generally remains clear. Outer case with light scuffs and scratches and some shallow indentations, some rubbing and some loss of definition to engraved decoration.
"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."

The present lot is a very rare gold quarter repeating watch by Tompion. Research suggests that it may be one of the earliest of his watches to have endstones and, indeed, one of the earliest hallmarked examples with endstones.The unusual cap to the balance cock was no doubt added by Tompion as a means to conceal his jewelling from prying eyes. The movement has Tompion’s own form of repeating work which is operated from the pendant and strikes a bell to the inside case back. Tompion’s repeating work is described and illustrated in G. H. Baillie, Watches, their History, Decoration and Mechanism, pp. 319-322 and pl. LXX.

Interestingly, if one analyses the 50 or so repeating watches by Tompion which are listed by Jeremy Evans in his book, Thomas Tompion at the Dial and Three Crowns, and exclude those watches which have one or both cases missing, later cases and/or dials, there remain less than half a dozen gold examples extant. Interestingly, quarter repeating Tompion no. 308, which is the closest number to the present watch, is illustrated as a movement only in H. Marryat’s book, Henlein to Tompion, 1938, p. 87.