3 Fabulous Watch Finds Up at Auction this Week

This week, on Thursday, to be precise, a few amazing historic clocks and movement are coming up for auction and you may not want to miss out on bidding. The auction — Fine Clocks, Barometers and Scientific Instruments — is being operated by Dreweatts Bloomsbury Auctions.

Easily one of the most exciting pieces to be on the block is Lot 121: a rare pocket watch movement – mind you – movement only – created jointly by 17^th century watchmaking legend Thomas Tompion and George Graham. According to the auction house, the movement was most likely the last to be built before Tompion’s death, and is the last recorded piece signed by Tompion, who built ornate clocks and repeating watches. In fact, he created almost 700 clocks in his lifetime and about 7,000 watches – in an era when everything was made by hand. The rare verge pocket watch movement is circa 1713, and is expected to sell for more than the $5,000 asking bid.

 

Also up for sale is a Charles II architectural style key-wound clock built in 1670 by Jonathan Chambers. That lot, Lot 122, is expected to sell for somewhere between $11,000 and $17,000. Hoping to fetch a $10k price is a rare German Renaissance Monstrance gilt brass table clock. Monstrance clocks were made in Germany in the 17^th century and were a status symbol for aristocrats because of their complex functions – they usually offered astronomical or calendar details. The Lot 119 clock has a highly unusual case back and is one of but a few survivors of its kind.