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The Encyclopedia of Horology

London, England · c. 1677–1733

Daniel Delander

Partially verified

Maker of catalogued clock watch, longcase clock, table or bracket clock

Life & work

Born to clockmaker Nathaniel Delander I, Daniel Delander entered the trade as an apprentice to Charles Halstead in 1692 before continuing his training under the renowned Thomas Tompion.

He achieved professional status by becoming a member of the Clockmakers' Company in 1699. His technical contributions were significant, as he is credited with inventing the lock spring for watch cases and producing an early independent centre seconds stopwatch. The clockmaker maintained a high standard of craftsmanship in his mantel and longcase clocks, often following the design philosophies of his master, Thomas Tompion.

Upon his death in 1733, his legacy was continued by his son, Nathaniel Delander II.

The fuller biography summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Training, contributions & innovations

  • Delander is credited with the invention of the lock spring to securely fasten watch cases.
  • Some of his clocks incorporated a two-wheeled duplex escapement, showing his attention to technical specification.

Documented works

  • The British Museum holds an independent-seconds watch built by Delander in 1720, noted as the oldest of its kind.
  • A clock featuring a duplex escapement by the maker is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
  • Clocks attributed to Delander are also found in the Science Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

Firms, key models & movements

No firm, model or movement in this encyclopedia is yet recorded under this maker's name.

In the object catalogue

4 catalogued objects are recorded under Daniel Delander. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Diagram

12345let downstripcleanoilregulateorder of work; never skip letting down the mainspring
Schematic: order of work at the bench. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Daniel Delander, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Thomas Tompion, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  3. Delander, Daniel, Watch-Wiki, retrieved 2026-11-03

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.