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The Encyclopedia of Horology

London, England · fl. 1692–1730

Markwick, James (the younger)

Partially verified

Clockmaker specializing in export to the Ottoman Empire

Life & work

James Markwick the younger was the son of a clockmaker also named James Markwick and followed his father into the profession.

He established himself as an eminent maker in London and served as the Master of the Clockmakers' Company in 1720. Markwick became a prominent supplier of timepieces to the Turkish market, often creating clocks with cases featuring japanned finishes and Arabic numerals. In his later years, he entered into a business partnership with his son-in-law, Robert Markham.

The business continued to trade under the name Markwick Markham long after the founders had died, maintaining strong connections to the Turkish trade.

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

  • He was considered a very early adopter of jeweled bearings in his timepieces.

Documented works

  • A bracket clock produced by Markwick around 1730 is held in the V&A museum collection.
  • The V&A also preserves a quarter chiming month-going longcase clock he made around 1725.

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

2 catalogued objects are recorded under Markwick, James (the younger). Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

  • Quarter chiming month-going longcase clock
  • Front view of the bracket clock, showing the arched dial, pierced steel hands, silvered hour-circle, and the black-ground case with chinoiserie decoration.

Sources & references

  1. Collections Online | British Museum, British Museum, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  2. Bracket Clock | Markwick, James (the younger) | V&A Explore The Collections, Victoria and Albert Museum, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  3. Longcase Clock | Markwick, James (the younger) | V&A Explore The Collections, Victoria and Albert Museum, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  4. 19th Century Turkish Market 18K Gold Triple Case Pocket Watch - MacauTimepiece Museum, Macau Time Museum, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)

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