Thomas Windmills

A QUEEN ANNE SILVER PAIR-CASED VERGE POCKET WATCH WITH CHAMPLEVE DIAL THOMAS WINDMILLS, LONDON, CIRCA 1705-10 The gilt full plate fusee movement with four Egyptian baluster pillars pinned through the backplate, scroll-pierced stop-iron block and verge escapement regulated by sprung three-arm steel balance with Tompion type regulation, the backplate with fine symmetrical foliate scroll pierced and engraved balance cock with female mask at the apex opposing grotesque mask at the junction with the conforming pierced and engraved foot, flanked by silvered regulation disc set within adjacent applied scroll engraved panel infill opposing signature Tho: Windmills, London , the silver champleve dial with pair of relief chased curved panels engraved WINDMILLS, LONDON to the finely matted centre, within Roman numeral chapter ring incorporating relief-chased fleur-de-lys half hour markers and cartouche Arabic five minute numerals to outer track, with fine blued steel beetle and poker hands, the inner case applied with suspension post and bow at twelve o'clock and the outer case with moulded rim to circumference, both cases with makers initials W.I over stamped number 3028 . The pillar plate 4.1cm (1.625ins) diameter, the inner case 5cm (2ins) diameter; the outer case 5.8cm (2.25ins) diameter. The life and work of Joseph Windmills and his successors is comprehensively documented in Neale, J.A. Joseph and Thomas Windmills Clock and Watch Makers 1671-1737 . Joseph joined the Clockmakers' Company as a free Brother on 29th September 1671 - the same year that Joseph Knibb, Daniel Quare and Thomas Tompion also gained their freedom of the Company. He initially worked from Blow Bladder Street in St. Martins le Grand, London before moving to premises at 'Swan Court, Mark Lane End, next Tower Street' by April 1674 where the business remained. Joseph took his son, Thomas, as an apprentice who, after gaining his freedom in 1696, is thought to have immediately gone into business with his father; shortly after 1700 the firm became a partnership which lasted until Joseph's death in 1724. Thomas continued the business at Tower Street but his attendance at Court was sporadic due to 'being out of town'. During the latter years of his career Thomas Windmills entered into loose partnerships with makers Bennett, Elkins and finally William Wightman who continued the business after the death if Windmills in 1736. Neale lists (in Table B pages 290-306) all the Windmills watches known to him at the time of writing (1999). The present lot is not included on the list with nearest timepiece being number 3135 (retained in the collection of The Museum of London). Of interest is the fact that very few dates (from Hallmarks) are noted by Neale with the nearest being 3743 which is dated 1709. Another observation is that from around number 2500 Windmills watches are generally signed by Thomas alone, continuing up until around watch number 9000 (dating to around 1730). Of all the watches listed around 60 are signed for Thomas Windmills alone, which would seem to equate to around 40% of all the known watches originating from the Windmills workshop. Although Joseph Windmills lived until 1724 it would seem that Thomas essentially took-on the watchmaking side of the business prior to 1710; this observation is noted by Neale on page 169.