A rare Daniel Quare pocket watch dating back to the year 1700 will be offered at auction at Cheffins on 15th April. With an estimate of £3,000 - £5,000, the watch is one of the earliest examples of a ‘repeater’ by one of the most esteemed watchmakers of the 18th century.
Steven Collins, jewellery, silver and watches specialist at Cheffins says:
“This important piece is possibly one of the earliest examples of a repeater pocket watch by Daniel Quare, one of the most famous watchmakers of the 18th century and favourite of Kings James II.
Dating back to circa 1700, the watch has a repeating movement, chiming the hours like a clock as well as an incredibly rare fan-shaped window on the dial. These early pocket watches with the repeater movement are a rarity on the open market, and whilst there have been examples of other pocket watches which have made well into the thousands, this example has a series of idiosyncrasies which will make it really stand out in the specialist market. As there are so few of these early repeater examples still in existence from what was one of the most significant periods in English watchmaking, this pocket watch will be an absolute must-have for any antique watch afficionados.
Daniel Quare was a Master of the Clockmaker’s Company from 1708 onwards and as a contemporary of Thomas Tompion, his watches were known to introduce innovative ideas which later became standard in watch design. He was possibly the first to make the intricate chiming pocket watches, such as this example, and to make watches in which both the hour and minute hands operated in unison.”
The watch is available at the Jewellery, Silver and Watches Sale on 15th April at Cheffins.