Talk to me about Thomas Tompion…

By Kes Crockett, Cataloguer at Fellows Auctioneers.

We are fortunate to see a wide variety of timepieces in our Luxury and Online Watch sales but every now and again something quite special comes along. One of our highlight lots in the Luxury Watch Sale on 19th April, is an early 18th Century pocket watch by Thomas Tompion & Edward Banger.

Thomas Tompion was born in 1639, the son of a blacksmith and began his professional horological journey after becoming an apprentice with the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in around 1671. By 1676 he was appointed clockmaker for the Royal Greenwich Observatory following a commission by Charles II to make two clocks accurate enough to be used for astronomical calculations. It is claimed that the use of these clocks allowed Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, to prove his hypothesis that the earth span on its axis at a uniform rate.

Although Tompion is often referred to as the “Father of English Clockmaking” his talents were not just limited to clocks, he also made watches. Perhaps his most important watch was one made for Robert Hooke in 1675 to demonstrate the use of a balance spring as a means to improving time keeping accuracy. Before around 1680 there had been no need to have minute hands on watches as the time keeping was so poor. They were essentially fashion items for the wealthy, but the balance spring changed that and led to over two centuries of innovation in the watchmaking industry.

Later in his career, in 1701 Tompion partnered with Edward Banger, who was married to Tompion’s niece. The clocks and watches made during this period are said to be some of the finest that the Tompion workshop produced. It is not clear why, but the partnership lasted for just six years, at which point Banger was dismissed from the premises. With this information we are able to date the pocket watch available in our upcoming sale to between 1701 and 1707.

Following Banger’s dismissal Tompion produced a number of watches solely under his name before partnering with George Graham (NOT the former Arsenal manager) in 1712. Graham was another watchmaker married to another of Tompion’s nieces, and upon Tompions death in 1713 took over the business. Graham himself was a highly influential horologist with a number of his own inventions including the mercury pendulum. Such was their friendship, Graham was to be buried with Tompion in the same tomb at Westminster Abbey when he died many years later in 1751.

Thomas Tompion was an incredibly successful watchmaker and retailer, making around 5500 watches and 700 clocks throughout his career. It is probably a consequence of this high level of output that Tompion created another horological first, still seen on watches to this day.… the serial number!

Further information about Thomas Tompion and examples of his work can be found on the British Museum website here.