Thomas Alcock

• Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and engraved pinned-on balance cock, flat balance, worm and wheel set-up, fusee and gut line, Egyptian pillars, signed Tho. Alcock Fecit
• Dial: silver, the centre with engraved floral decoration, Roman numerals with quarter hour divisions beneath, outer border with decorative engraved roundels, blued steel floriate hand
• Case: plain silver case, the inside cover engraved with Julian calendar, case back with shuttered winding aperture and stud to the base for securing the watch in an outer case (now lacking)

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 72-73, pl. 31

Movement running at time of cataloguing, scuffs and scratches to the plates commensurate with age and use. Dial decoration in attractive condition, the blued steel hand appears to have a small repair to one side and is not exactly central to its arbour. Silver case with indentations to the lid and an area of repair visible to the inside of the lid to the right hand side. The shutter to winding aperture has a slight loss to one side.
"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."

To the inside of the watch’s lid is an engraved perpetual calendar. Across the top of the grid are the Dominical letters G F E D C B A which, in conjunction with the two rows of numerals beneath, allow the calculation of the calendar for any given year in the Julian Calendar, the days of the month being marked on the lower 5 rows of the calendar grid, marked from 1-31.

Made at the end of Thomas Alcock’s life, this watch dates to the beginning of the Commonwealth period. By this period, circular watches had become the preferred style and sizes were beginning to increase. Thomas Alcock was active by 1630 and entered the Clockmakers’ Company in 1632, becoming Assistant in 1638 and Warden from 1645-1646 [see Brian Loomes, The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain, p. 48]. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury shows that his will was proved on 26^th April 1650 [Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 30, No. 5, March 2008, p. 683].