CHARLES GRETTON

A FINE AND QUEEN ANNE VERGE HOUR STRIKING CLOCK-WATCH WITH CHAMPLEVE DIAL CHARLES GRETTON, LONDON, CIRCA 1707 The front-winding gilt full plate movement with three pierced Egyptian and two baluster pillars pinned through the backplate, the fusee going train with tulip-shaped stop-iron block and verge escapement regulated by sprung three-arm steel balance with Tompion type regulation, the locking plate controlled strike train with foliate band engraved standing barrel, foliate sculpted steel detent gates and sounding the hours and once again at the half hour via a hammer positioned beneath the spring barrel on a bell fitted to the interior of the case, the backplate with fine symmetrical foliate strapwork scroll pierced and chased cock inhabited by eagles and decorated with a male mask at the junction with the conforming pierced foot, flanked by silvered regulation disk set within further applied engraved fretwork opposing silvered countwheel with numbered divisions, next to signature Char. Gretton, London partially obscured by the strike stopwork spring with indistinct number 1718 beneath, the champleve dial with matted centre within Roman numeral chapter ring incorporating relief diamond lozenge half hour markers and cartouche Arabic five minute numerals to outer track, with fine sculpted blued steel hands with the minute cranked to clear the winding holes, the silver consular case with fine foliate strapwork scroll pierced and engraved bands to both the internal and external bezels and to the circumference of the main body of the case incorporating mask and scallop shell motifs, with moulded rim and short suspension post with bow at twelve o'clock, unmarked; with a later silver fancy-link albert with T-bar marked for London 1866 terminating with a rock crystal fob seal intaglio cut with Masonic symbols. The pillar plate 3.8cm (1.5ins) diameter, the case 5.3cm (2.125ins) diameter. Provenance: The Leonard Fuller Collection. Purchased form Evans and Evans, Arlesford, 12 th August 1970 for £330. Literature: The present lot is extensively illustrated and described in Radage, Dennis; Warner, Meinen and Radage, Laila CHARLES GRETTON, THROUGH THE GOLDEN AGE as 'GW22' pages 696-99. Charles Gretton is documented by Radage, Meinen and Radage as born in Clayplole, Lincolnshire in 1648. By 1662 he had moved to London entering into an eight-year apprenticeship under Humphrey Downing on the 30th June of that year (turned over from Lionell Wythe); Downing died in 1666 but it is thought that Gretton continued his apprenticeship under his widow, Cordelia, gaining his freedom of the Clockmakers Company in 1672 and se-up business in Fleet Street. In 1677 Charles Gretton married Mary Phillips and established himself at the sign of the 'The Ship' in Fleet Street (either number 174 or 175 next to Fetter Lane). Gretton was appointed an Assistant of the Clockmaker's Company in 1889 and then Warden in 1697; the same year he signed the 'oath of allegiance'. In 1700 Charles Gretton served as Master as well marrying his second wife Lucy Uffman (his first wife Mary died in 1694). In 1701 he put £50 forward to the Clockmakers' Company in order to establish a trust to assist the orphans of deceased members and was nominated to serve again as Master in 1705/06. Lucy, his second wife died before 1711 as this is the year that Charles Gretton married his third wife, Dorethea Wilson shortly after which he moved to his newly acquired second premises at two Chancery Lane. At this time his premises at 'The Ship', Fleet Street was passed onto the management of his nephew, Thomas Moore who paid taxes on the building until 1723. In 1716 Charles and Dorothea moved again to Chancery Lane where they remained until Dorothea's death in 1727. By this time Charles Gretton had retired from active clockmaking and went to go and live with his daughter, Ann, in Milk Street where he remained until his death in 1731. During his career Charles Gretton He took on many apprentices including Henry Sully (Freed April 1705) and Joseph Antram (Freed October 1706) both of whom went on to become famous clockmakers in their own right. By the time of his death and internment at St. Dunstan's in the West Gretton had become a wealthy and highly respected figure within the City of London as well as the clockmaking community. His Will mentions no less than nine properties as well as £1,300 deposited in the Bank of England contributing the £2,600 monetary component of his legacy. The present lot sounds both the hours and a single blow for the half hour. This form of striking is traditionally termed 'French striking' hence it is possible that this watch was made either for export to France or for a French client. Clockwatches are a notably rare. For example, when considering Thomas Tompion's output, the highest serial number for his sequence of clockwatches is 130 versus circa 4500 for his timepiece watches and 990 for his repeating watches (excluding continuation numbering by George Graham). This would suggest that less than two percent of Tompion's watch output were clockwatches. The present lot, as well as being particularly rare, has also survived in fine original condition throughout.