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Late 17th Century Quarter Striking Pair Cased Watch

A Thomas Windmills late 17th century quarter striking pair cased key wind open faced watch, deep full plate gilt movement with two tulip pillars and four decorative turned pillars, fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel set between the plates. The pierced and engraved wing cock with pierced and engraved foot, silver regulator disc. The movement signed 'Tho Windmills London'. The dust cap signed and numbered 6079. Silvered and engraved dial with black Roman numerals and outer Arabic minute divisions, blued steel hands. The inner case ornately engraved with scenes of everyday life, the outer case with pierced and engraved decoration, numbered 6079 and sampled with makers mark. circa 1690. Provenance: Gerald Marsh, Winchester, 1998, Literature: illustrated in 'The Art of the English Watch'. Other Notes: Thomas Windmills, active 1686, Clockmakers Company 1695, master 1719-32.

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  • Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
  • Pair Cased - A pair cased watch is one with a double case. The movement is encased, and for additional protection this is fitted into an outer case.
  • Quarter Striking - A clock that srtikes on the quarter hour, as well as on the hour.
  • Fusee - The fusee movement was used in clocks and pocket watches from the mid 17th century. The fusee is a cone shaped drum within the works that is linked to the barrel of the spring, usually by a length of chain.

    As the mainspring loses its tension over time, the cone shaped barrel compensates for this by increasing the tension, by pulling the mainspring tighter, thus ensuring the time remains constant.

    Use of the fusee in clocks was superseded by the "going barrel" in the mid 19th century and for pocket watches at the beginning of the 19th century.

    The fusee continued to be used in marine chronometers until the 1970s.
  • Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
  • Barrel (in a Clock) - In a clock or watch, the barrel is a cylindrical component that stores the energy from the mainspring. As the mainspring is wound, it stores energy in the barrel. As the clock or watch runs, the energy is gradually released from the barrel, turning the clock's gears and keeping the time.

    The barrel is typically located near the centre of the movement (the mechanism that powers the clock) and is connected to the center wheel, which drives the rest of the gears. The barrel typically has teeth on its outer surface that mesh with the gears in the movement, allowing it to transmit energy to the rest of the clock. Some barrels are designed to be wound by hand, while others are automatically wound by the motion of the wearer's arm.

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A Thomas Windmills late 17th century quarter striking pair…