English silver key wind pair cased verge clock watch Circa 1704

Silver verge in pair cases by Thomas Tompion & Edward Banger
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An English silver keywind pair cased verge pocket watch, circa 1704. This watch features a gilded full plate movement with a verge escapement, a pierced and engraved balance cock, a flat steel three arm balance, a fusee and chain, and Egyptian pillars. It is signed Tho Tompion and E. Banger, London. The silver champlevé dial includes Roman numerals, half hour divisions, an outer Arabic minute ring, steel tulip and poker hands, a gilded outer ring, and cartouches at the dial centre. The upper portion showcases Putti holding garlands of flowers and is signed Tompion Banger, London. The watch has two cases: a plain silver inner case with a split bezel for glass retention, a back winding aperture, and a plain outer case. Both cases bear the maker’s mark WS with a coronet above for William Sherwood and are numbered.
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Diameter: outer case 56 mm
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Diameter: inner case 48 mm
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Signed: Tho Tompion, E. Banger, London.
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The movement is operational. There are scratches throughout the dial, and the black inserts on the numerals are partially missing. The case shutter for the winding hole is absent, and there is an indentation on the band with scuffs present throughout. The outer case has small dents and scuffs as well.
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By the late 17th century, Tompion had several apprentices, the most notable being Edward Banger, who was transferred to Tompion from Joseph Ashby in 1687. Banger married Tompion’s niece, Margaret Kent, in 1694 and became a member of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1695. In 1701, he entered into a partnership with Tompion, during which they produced some of the workshop’s finest clocks and watches, characterised by meticulous detail and exquisite finishing. However, a significant dispute seems to have occurred, and by around 1708, Tompion and Banger had ended their collaboration. The disagreement must have been profound, as unfinished clocks bearing the Tompion and Banger signature had Banger’s name removed from the dials before being sold.
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Thomas Tompion, one of the most celebrated English watchmakers, was born at Ickwell Green in Bedfordshire in 1639. He originally trained as a blacksmith, eventually transitioning to clock and watchmaking. He became a celebrated and prolific maker, with numerous noble patrons, but the fact that so many of his watches survive is a testament to the undiminished quality of his work.
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Edward Banger, an English watchmaker, apprenticed with a clockmaker from 1687 to 1694. He became a member of the Clockmakers Company from 1695 to 1713. Banger married Margaret, the daughter of his sister Margaret Kent and niece of Tompion. He worked for Tompion from 1701 to 1708.