Born in 1602, East was a founder member of the Clockmakers Company in 1631 and was Master in 1645 and 1653. He took a large number of apprentices and employed many workmen.

At a time when it was dangerous to be a dissenter, East was suspected of Catholic/ Royalist sympathies. This appears to be confirmed by his appointment as chief Clockmaker to the King in November 1660, shortly after the Restoration of Charles II. East died in 1688, aged 86.

The three train movement has a fusee driven going train with a verge escapement and unsprung balance. Both the striking and alarm trains are driven by going barrels and the strike has a silver count wheel mounted next to the balance.

At this early date, the balance cock is pinned onto its supporting pillar rather than being screwed to the plate. The fusee spring is 'set up' by a key operated worm mounted on the top plate. (Some parts of the mechanism, including the balance and worm gear are later replacements.)
 
The movement has East's tapering pillars and both the gilded balance cock and spring barrels are pierced and engraved. The silver chapter ring and alarm disc are surrounded by an engraved ring in floral pattern and this is continued in the centre of the alarm disc. The silver case is extravagantly pierced and engraved with flowers and foliage.

Accession No. 1992.127

A gold and "black shagreen" pair cased clockwatch with champleve dial, c.1716 by Joseph and Thomas Windmills, London

Joseph Windmills was made free of the Clockmakers Company in 1671 and took several apprentices including his own son Thomas in 1686. Both prolific and well regarded makers, they worked in partnership from around 1700 until Joseph's death in 1720.  During this period their work was signed simply 'Windmills'. Joseph died c.1723.

The movement of this watch is fusee driven with verge escapement and has an additional spring barrel driven striking train - hence the term clockwatch. The striking movement is of the countwheel type and sounds on a bell within the inner case. A small lever in the band of the inner case switches off the striking mechanism when required.
 

The outer case is covered with black shagreen or fishskin (known as leather), secured by gold pins close to the bezel. The inner gold case is profusely pierced and engraved and is large enough to contain the bell. The gold champleve dial is signed Windmills and has blued steel beetle and poker hands. The movement is decorated in the usual way with a large balance cock, through which the striking train is wound.

The clockwatch was made from the earliest period of watch manufacturing and was the logical result of the progressive miniaturisation of spring driven table clocks which were, in practice, portable timepieces.

The practical use of the striking watch was, perhaps, limited but may have been an echo from the early years of mechanical timekeeping which was audible rather than visual. The word clock derives from the Latin for a bell.

Accession No. 1992.1.104

John Canninge was working 'behind St Clements Church' in 1662.

Watches of this period were little more than portable clocks of very small size. The spring is controlled by a fusee and gut and there are only three wheels in the train (the more usual 4 wheels were introduced about 40 years later). 

The verge escapement is controlled by an unsprung balance as the balance spring had not then been invented. Because of this accurate timekeeping was impossible.

The gilt dial has a landscape engraving in the centre and a floral engraving surrounding the chapter ring surmounted by a cherub. This is repeated on the silver band round the case. The gilt dial has a landscape engraving in the centre and a floral engraving surrounding the chapter ring surmounted by a cherub. This is repeated on the silver band round the case.

Watches of this period were expensive mechanical decorations rather than useful instruments. Consequently they were worn where people could see them; women often wore them hanging from a bow tied round the waist. The watch was protected from damage by the voluminous clothes worn at the time which prevented jolting on the hip.

Accession No. 1992.8.1

This watch was made by Charles Viner of Royal Exchange and New Bond Street, London. Apprenticed in 1802, Viner was made free of the Clockmakers Company in 1813 and a liveryman in 1819. He is known as the inventor of the alarm watch and the pull wind. He died c.1842.

The alarm mechanism works in the same way as a modern mechanical clock, being activated when the hour hand passes over the alarm hand and sounding on a gong. 

The hunter case is a safety device introduced around 1800. The old fashioned verge escapement is used even though better escapements like the lever or cylinder were available.

The case is ribbed and the covers engine turned. The enamel dial had quickly superseded the champleve gold and silver ones from around 1735 but precious metal returned to dials in a different form around this time. They had matted or engine turned centres with polished numerals. This example, unusually, has gold numerals on a matter silver background.

The hunter case, with covered dial, was introduced with horse riders particularly in mind. Gentlemen carried watches in a small pocket in the waistband - the fob - and there was a danger of injury from broken glass penetrating clothing and skin if thrown from a horse. Hence the hunter case covered the glass with a metal lid.

Accession No. 1992.8.12

A gold and enamelled open faced watch, c.1790. By Barraud, London.

Made by Barraud, London. Of Huguenot origin there were several Barrauds working in the horological business from the mid-eighteenth century. The makers of this watch were probably Francis and Paul Barraud. Later, the firm became famous as chronometer makers and survived until late in the nineteenth century as Barraud and Lund.

The fusee driven movement has a verge escapement with an uncompensated balance. The spiral pattern on the back of the watch case was produced using a rose engine which mechanically engraved the case. This was then covered by a layer of translucent enamel.

This style of watch can be described as mechanical jewellery. The deep purple enamel and split pearl bezels were designed to appeal to feminine taste. Arabic numerals are used, a rare feature and the gold hands have diamond shaped tips.

This watch was worn to be seen, and is likely to have been hung on the end of a chatelaine, attached to a band at the waist.  

Accession No. 1992.104

This watch was probably made in Fleurier, Switzerland, c.1835, from a design originally by Ilbery.

Like other ‘montre chinoise’, the movement is driven by a spring barrel of the hanging type with no supporting bridge and an additional intermediate wheel is required for the eight days duration. The duplex escapement is used, a frictional rest type whereby the wheelwork is advanced every other swing of the balance, thus giving a more positive movement of the seconds hand. The balance is of plain steel with additional ‘batswing’ pieces secured to the rim.

Both movement and case are extravagantly decorated, the former being finely engraved and gilded and covered with a glass cuvette so that it can be observed. The gilt metal case has a ribbed edge with split pearls decorating the bezels, pendant and bow. The magnificent enamel design on the rear shows two mounted Arabs hunting a lioness.

From the beginning of their contact with the West, the Chinese were fascinated by European clocks and watches. European makers soon realised that the brighter the watch, the better the Chinese liked it. Owing to Chinese indifference to timekeeping, the movement was optimised for spectacular appearance rather than precision; the presence of a centre seconds hand was essential so that the watch could be seen to be working.  Watches were frequently used as bribes for trading concessions and over 10,000 were given to the Emperor.

Accession No. 1992.1.116

Made by Ralph Gout of London c.1800. Gout was working at 6 Norman Street, (St Lukes, Old Street) from 1770-1800 and at 122 Birchin Lane in 1815. He was made bankrupt in 1796 but this did not appear to affect his business. In 1796 he patented his pedometer watch and later another device for measuring the revolution of a carriage wheel. He had dealings with the Turkish market and may have been an early importer of Swiss watches.

This extraordinary mechanism is designed to measure the paces of a horse when attached to a saddle, up to 60,000 paces, although there is no adjustment for different sizes of horse. It was patented by Gout in 1799 (No. 2351) and the watch movement, fusee driven with verge escapement, was considered robust enough to stand up to considerable jolting. The watch moves up and down with each pace of the horse which causes the pendant, attached to a leather cord, to be pulled in and out of the movement, thus activating the pedometer mechanism.

The movement has a pierced and engraved balance cock table and a solid engraved foot and regulator surround. The white enamel dial has diamond shaped gold hands. The outer case in gilt metal is tear drop shaped and is engraved with flowers, an urn and geometric patterns.

Pedometers were popular in the late eighteenth century but apart from those made by Gout, no watch mechanisms were included. The saddle pedometer is hardly practical and must have been prone to serious damage during use.

Accession No. 1992.8.35

A gilt metal and underpainted horn pair cased watch, c.1800. By Thomas Paternoster, Hitchin.

Made by Thomas Paternoster, Hitchin, this watch has a fusee driven movement with verge escapement. The technique of moulding transparent horn to various shapes was an unpleasant one described as "an ingenious though stinking business which requires more ingenuity than strength". Once the underside was painted it was riveted to the case with small pins.

The movement has the usual pierced and engraved balance cock. The painting on the underside of the horn shows the figure of Britannia leaning on an anchor and pointing to a ship of the line off the coastline of Britain with a castle in the background.

Underpainted horn watches were known as a poor man's substitute for enamel. In this example, the figure of Britannia, the ship of the line and the castle represent the formidable defences of Britain, a popular theme during the Napoleonic wars.

Accession No. 1992.24

Made by Justin Vulliamy, London, No. XCI who worked in 1730-1790 having emigrated from Switzerland. Justin was the first of three renowned watchmakers to the Royal family. Beginning as a partner to Benjamin Gray, whose daughter he married, Justin continued this business in Pall Mall after Gray's death. The Vulliamys' work was always of the first quality and stylistically varied little over the three generations.

The high quality movement is fusee driven with a cylinder escapement. A small lever at the edge of the dial at III allows the watch to be stoped and set going again precisely by a regulator clock. The plain steel balance is uncompensated.

The movement has a very finely pierced and engraved balance cock together with a particular feature of Vulliamy's watches, an engraved coiled serpent whose tongue points to the position on the regulation disc. The typical Vulliamy dial has the minute divisions on the outer edge of the dial and elaborate beetle and poker hands.

The engraved case has the owner's initials, SR, in a central oval. This high quality watch is recognisably the work of Vulliamy and since he was known as a very expensive maker, the ownership of such a watch was a conspicuous indicator of wealth.

Accession No. 1992.103