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Lot Essay
Markwick Markham flourished from 1725 to 1805. The firm specialized in the manufacture of watches, musical and ordinary clocks mainly for the Ottoman market.
James Markwick Jr. (d. 1730) became Free of the Clockmakers' Company in 1692 and his business succeeded that of Samuel Betts, one of the great early clock making pioneers. He became Master in 1720 and went into partnership with his brother-in-law Robert Markham who succeeded him in the business and carried on trading under the name Markwick Markham. The business was so successful that their name became synonymous with watches and clocks made for the Turkish market, a lucrative business comprising most countries of the Near East and extending to Persia. The fame that watches by Markwick Markham enjoyed in the Ottoman Empire is underlined by forgeries of continental origin appearing on the market occasionally, often easily identified because of the faulty spelling of the firm's name.
James Markwick Jr. (d. 1730) became Free of the Clockmakers' Company in 1692 and his business succeeded that of Samuel Betts, one of the great early clock making pioneers. He became Master in 1720 and went into partnership with his brother-in-law Robert Markham who succeeded him in the business and carried on trading under the name Markwick Markham. The business was so successful that their name became synonymous with watches and clocks made for the Turkish market, a lucrative business comprising most countries of the Near East and extending to Persia. The fame that watches by Markwick Markham enjoyed in the Ottoman Empire is underlined by forgeries of continental origin appearing on the market occasionally, often easily identified because of the faulty spelling of the firm's name.