English
DonateMembershipTickets

Pair-case watch

Watchmaker: Thomas Tompion British
Case maker: Nathanial Delander I British
1685–86
Not on view
Tompion, who was the first to number his watches, began to do so about 1682. The numbers referred to entries in his business ledgers and allowed him to keep track of the various components of a given watch. Unfortunately, none of his ledgers survives.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pair-case watch
  • Maker: Watchmaker: Thomas Tompion (British, 1639–1713)
  • Maker: Case maker: Nathanial Delander I (British, 1648–ca. 1691)
  • Date: 1685–86
  • Culture: British, London
  • Medium: Outer case: red tortoiseshell with silver inlay; Inner case and champlevé dial: silver
  • Dimensions: Diameter: 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm)
  • Classification: Horology
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.1487a, b
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
Pair-case watch, Thomas Tompion  British, Outer case: leather with gold studs; inner case and dial: gold with blued-steel hands; movement: gilded brass, partly blued steel, silver, British, London
Watchmaker: Thomas Tompion
Case maker: Nathanial Delander I
1682–83
Division Viol, Richard Meares  British, Spruce, ebony, maple, British
labeled Richard Meares
ca. 1680
Pair-case watch, Daniel Delander  British, Outer case, inner case, and champlevé dial: silver and blued steel hands; Movement: gilded brass, steel, and diamond endstone, British, London
Watchmaker: Daniel Delander
Case maker: William Jaques
ca. 1715–19
Traveling clock watch with alarm, Thomas Tompion  British, Case and dial: silver; Movement: gilded brass, partly blued steel, silver, British, London
Watchmaker: Thomas Tompion
Case and dial maker: Nathanial Delander I
ca. 1680
Division Viol, Barak Norman  British, Wood, British
Attributed to Barak Norman
1692

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.