English gold quarter repeating repousse verge Circa 1720

Gold pair cased quarter repeating repousse verge
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An English fine gold pair cased quarter repeating repousse verge watch, circa 1720, gilded full plate movement, verge escapement, three-arm brass balance, decoratively pierced and engraved winged masked balance cock, turned baluster pillars, fusee and chain, movement signed T. Cartwright, London, Principi Horologs
Gold champlevé dial, Roman numerals, inner half-hour divisions, outer Arabic minute ring, blued steel double baluster minute hand, the first taper indicating the half-hour divisions, elaborate hour hand, outer Arabic minute track.
Gold inner, the back centered with a gold rosette, aperture for winding above, decoratively pierced and engraved band with scrolling flowers and foliage inhabited by birds, a rosette to the base • gold outer case with four portrait busts chased and embossed around a central cartouche, the bezels pierced and engraved with decorative foliage, both cases with maker’s marks JB possibly John Birdwhistle
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Signed: T. Cartwright London Principi Horologs
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Thomas Cartwright 1679-1741 was watchmaker to both Queen Anne and King George I, and lived for part of his career at the Royal Exchange in London. Clearly proud of his Royal patronage, his watches appear to have been rather elaborately signed, in this instance: ‘Tho. Cartwright Principi Horologs’, in addition, the dust cap is handsomely engraved ‘Thos Cartwright the Prince’s Watchmaker”. A similarly signed movement by Cartwright is in the collection of the Clockmakers’ Company and is illustrated in Cedric Jagger’s book. In the aforementioned book, Jagger notes that Cartwright began his apprenticeship with Richard Watts, probably in 1693, before being turned over to Christopher Gould but appears never to have been made a Freeman of the Clockmakers’ Company.

The outer case has a central cartouche of the form typically found on chased and embossed cases from the early 18th century. Surrounding the case back’s cartouche are four portrait busts which are almost certainly based on classical figures but have, as yet, not been identified. There is a watch by Thomas Cartwright with repoussé outer case in the Schloss Collection.