London, England · 1649 – 1724
Daniel Quare
Historical attributionRepeating watches and clocks, barometers
Life & work
Daniel Quare was a London clock- and watchmaker, and a prominent Quaker tradesman, admitted to the Clockmakers' Company and later serving as its Master. He is traditionally credited, alongside the rival claim of Edward Barlow, with inventing the repeating watch mechanism in the early 1680s, whereby a watch could sound the approximate time on demand by pulling a cord or pressing a pendant, useful for telling time in darkness before pocket lighting was practical.
The Quare–Barlow priority dispute over the repeater is one of the recorded controversies of English horology: Barlow is generally understood to have petitioned for a patent first, but Quare's mechanism was preferred by King James II's court and Quare received royal favour for it, so the historical record credits both men rather than settling sole priority, and this entry follows that standard treatment rather than assigning invention to Quare alone.
Quare also built turret clocks, and equation clocks showing the difference between solar and mean time, and was noted for barometers as well as clocks; his religious nonconformity as a Quaker occasionally brought him into conflict with oath-based guild and civic requirements, a detail recorded in Company records of the period.
Timeline
Daniel Quare's recorded dates, dated events from this profile and its sources, and dated pieces and sales from the object catalogue. Dates are as each record gives them.
1649 · Career
Born
1705-1715 · Catalogued piece
circa 1710 · Catalogued piece
1724 · Career
Died
Training, contributions & innovations
- Developed an early practical repeating watch mechanism in the early 1680s
- Built equation clocks and turret clocks in addition to portable repeating watches
- Served as Master of the Clockmakers' Company
Inventions & patents
- Quare's repeating mechanism is a historical-attribution shared with Edward Barlow's rival claim; no single settled sole-priority patent record resolves the dispute.
Signatures & markings on surviving work
- Watches and clocks signed 'Daniel Quare, London' or 'Quare & Horseman' after his later partnership
Collecting significance
Signed Quare repeating watches and equation clocks are significant museum-grade pieces; the Quare & Horseman partnership signature marks later production and should not be confused with Quare's earlier solo work when dating a piece.
Firms, key models & movements
Firms
- Daniel Quare · 1670s
Famous objects
- Daniel Quare silver clock-watch · ca. 1690
In the object catalogue
4 catalogued objects are recorded under Daniel Quare. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.
- A late 17th century ebony table clock, Daniel Quare, LondonBracket clock · late 17th century
- Daniel Quare gilt quarter repeating pocket watch No. 280Repeating watch · circa 1715
- Daniel Quare silver pair-cased watch No. 3354Verge & pair-cased watch · circa 1710
- Repeating Pocket Watch by Daniel QuareRepeating watch · 1705-1715
Provenance
Where the 4 catalogued pieces by Daniel Quare were recorded, with the collectors, owners and sales their records name.
Provenance map
Each piece is linked to the museum, auction house or dealer whose record it comes from, and to any other house or collection its own provenance names. Select a name to see its pieces.
Museums · 1 piece
Auction houses · 3 pieces
Antiquorum
Auction house · 1 piece · Directory entry
Daniel Quare silver pair-cased watch No. 3354Verge & pair-cased watch · circa 1710 · Record source
Antiquorum: lot 238
Collectors, owners and donors
- Mr. G. J. Fenn-WigginCredit Line · Repeating Pocket Watch by Daniel Quare
Auction history
| House | Sale & lot | Object |
|---|---|---|
| Bonhams | lot 72 | A late 17th century ebony table clock, Daniel Quare, London |
| Sotheby's | lot 64 | Daniel Quare gilt quarter repeating pocket watch No. 280 |
| Antiquorum | lot 238 | Daniel Quare silver pair-cased watch No. 3354 |
Each line is copied from the object's source record and is not independently verified. Holders are as recorded when the piece was catalogued: museum objects may not be on display, and sold lots have since changed hands.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
- Baillie, G. H., Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.