Rare and early English silver pair case date watch Circa 1660

Rare and early silver pair case date watch
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A rare and early English silver pair case calendar watch, circa 1660, gilt verge movement, balance cock pierced and engraved with scrolling flowers, worm and wheel set-up, fusee and gut split Egyptian pillars. Silvered dial, two concentric chapter rings with black champlevé enamel Roman numerals for the hours, the outer ring with date champlevé with Arabic numerals, single blued steel tulip hand.
The polished case fixed with winding shutter, outer polished case with latch, movement signed Eduardus East, Londini
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Signed: Edwardus East  Londini
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Without question one of the most important of early English watchmakers, Edward East was born in Southill, Bedfordshire in 1602. At the time there was no Clockmakers’ Company and so, in 1618, the young East was apprenticed to Richard Roger of the Goldsmiths’ Company, becoming a Freeman in 1627. In 1631 the Clockmakers’ Company was formed by Royal Charter and Edward East became one of the Company’s first assistants a year later, in 1632. East was made Warden of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1638 and Master in both 1645 and 1653. In 1660 he was appointed chief clockmaker to King Charles II. In October 1692, East gave £100 to the Clockmakers’ Company with the interest to be used to support poor members. The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain, 1981, p. 206. Edward East lived through almost the entire 17th century and died in 1697, leaving an extraordinary legacy of exceptional watches and clocks.