Clocktime: Milbourn Tompion Longcase c1699, 02 The Dial

Thomas Tompion - Milbourn Tompion walnut-veneered month-going longcase clock No. 333.
Join Dr John C Taylor OBE from the Clocktime digital museum as he discusses the dial of the Milbourn Tompion, circa 1699.
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The dial has the four Indian spandrels, which mask each of the corners, a little seconds dial, shuttered winding holes and the calendar and look at the detail created into this Tompion hand. It just reeks of beautiful quality, the tiny, tiny swirls surrounding the central shaft and just think making this with your own drills, your own piercing saws and your own files, which you've had to make to create a thing of beauty like that. It looks as if two file strokes would destroy the whole thing and yet there it is over 300 years old. So, at the bottom of the dial here you have the calendar aperture and Tompion was very good at looking after his customers and you can see there is a little hole on either side of the number that you can stick a pin in and then you can easily move the dial to the correct date, if you've unfortunately let the clock run down and it's showing the wrong date. The signature isn't quite the cooperation between all the trades here because although Thomas has been reduced to Tho with a full stop, Fecit has got lost, the last couple of letters hidden underneath the corner of the spandrel there. Apart from that a beautiful signature.