Very few extant clocks by Graham are known to have silent verge escapements. One might imagine that if someone could afford a table clock by George Graham then one could probably afford another timepiece spring clock for his sleeping quarters, so that his downstairs clock did not have to be brought upstairs each night. However the cost of a top quality clock at that time would have been a very expensive purchase and having more than one clock in a house was a great luxury. The silent verge system used on this clock was constructed with gut lines that were strung across the brass pallet blocks and this very greatly reduced the noise that is made when steel pallets are used. Instead, gut was used interacting with the brass crown wheel teeth, this was much quieter, but less accurate and more prone to wear.
This clock is unnumbered and it is likely that it was an unfinished clock when Graham died in 1751. There are various documented scratch repair marks referencing a James Bullock. It would appear that Bullock worked for Graham and then for Barkley and Colley, Graham's successors. There are references to another clock by Barkley and Colley with Bullock's scratch marks J. Bullock fecit 1753. A reference in the Register of Apprentices refers to an Edward Bullock, son of James Bullock of Leather Lane who was apprenticed in 1776, probably the one and the same James Bullock. The present lot is signed J.Bullock 1753 to the underside of the foot for the rise-and-fall.
The additional heavily matted plaque, also signed George Gaham London is held in place by the chapter ring and two flanking subsidiaries, without feet and pins. It was probably an owner, possibly the original owner, who thought that the matting in the dial centre and subsidiary dials conflicted with the plain gilt signature space between the two subsidiaries, and so a matted plaque was made to blend in with the dial centres. Fortunately the original signature has been preserved.