Rare English silver pair cased verge pocket watch Circa 1710

Silver verge in pair cases by Daniel Quare
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An exceptional, rare English silver pair cased verge pocket watch, circa 1710. Fire gilded full plate movement decorated with floral appliqués, Egyptian pillars, chain and fusee, a richly decorated balance cock with scrollwork showing birds of prey and a mascaron, a three arm steel balance. Silver champlevé dial with Roman hours, an outer minute track, Arabic five minute numerals, the signature cartouche of Daniel Quare with the shield holders of the English royal coat of arms, a lion and unicorn, in the centre. A plain outer case, the inner case is also polished with maker’s hallmark WG. Dial signed, case numbered, movement signed and numbered, movement and case with matching numbers.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Weight: 158 g
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Signed: D. Quare London
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Daniel Quare was a highly esteemed English watchmaker. Born circa 1647 in Somerset and died August 1724. He was admitted to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1671, becoming a master in 1708. Quare established himself as an important horological innovator by inventing a type of repeating work around 1680. Whilst he was developing his repeating mechanism, his rival, Edward Barlow, was developing his own version. Barlow had invented the rack form of striking in 1676 and, in 1685, Thomas Tompion made a watch for Barlow that incorporated the latter’s repeating system. Three years later, in 1688, Quare and Barlow presented their different forms of repeating watches to King James II so that he might declare which he regarded the superior. The King favoured Quare’s form, noting that Barlow’s required two pushers, one for the hour strike and one for the quarters, whilst Quare’s single push piece activated both the hours and quarters.