Lot Essay
George Graham, 1673-1751, was the son of a Quaker farmer from Cumberland. Whilst apprenticed to Henry Aske, 1688-95 he established a considerable name for himself and very soon afterwards began working for Thomas Tompion (1631-1713). In 1704 he married Tompion's niece Elizabeth and took over the company on Tompion's death.
Graham was responsible for all manner of horological and scientific inventions such as the deadbeat escapement in 1715, the mercury pendulum in 1726 and the cylinder escapement for watches. All three of these innovations were still being used right up until the end of the 19th century.
Graham was single-handedly responsible for providing a sound precision horological base from which other great British clockmakers such as Thomas Mudge, John Arnold, John Ellicott and Thomas Earnshaw were to continue to work and improve upon.
Until Graham began to concentrate on precision clockmaking, regulators took on many different guises, principally due to a lack of knowledge in the precision field. Graham funnelled all of his and other existing precision horology into making a uniform version of the regulator which was to become famous for its clinical easy-to-read dials, simple but extremely elegant cases and high quality movements that were by far the most advanced of their era but yet had a lucid and unpretentious construction that reflected all that 'Honest' George Graham worked for. Regulators in oak cases were generally used for menial purposes such as in observatories or 'below-stairs' in servants' quarters. The present regulator is unusual being a month-going example (rather that week-going), something that would have cost the purchaser an extra few guineas. The movement was almost certainly made by John Shelton who was then Graham's senior journeyman responsibe for making most of Graham's precision clocks.
Graham was responsible for all manner of horological and scientific inventions such as the deadbeat escapement in 1715, the mercury pendulum in 1726 and the cylinder escapement for watches. All three of these innovations were still being used right up until the end of the 19th century.
Graham was single-handedly responsible for providing a sound precision horological base from which other great British clockmakers such as Thomas Mudge, John Arnold, John Ellicott and Thomas Earnshaw were to continue to work and improve upon.
Until Graham began to concentrate on precision clockmaking, regulators took on many different guises, principally due to a lack of knowledge in the precision field. Graham funnelled all of his and other existing precision horology into making a uniform version of the regulator which was to become famous for its clinical easy-to-read dials, simple but extremely elegant cases and high quality movements that were by far the most advanced of their era but yet had a lucid and unpretentious construction that reflected all that 'Honest' George Graham worked for. Regulators in oak cases were generally used for menial purposes such as in observatories or 'below-stairs' in servants' quarters. The present regulator is unusual being a month-going example (rather that week-going), something that would have cost the purchaser an extra few guineas. The movement was almost certainly made by John Shelton who was then Graham's senior journeyman responsibe for making most of Graham's precision clocks.