Isaac Pluvier Very little is known of Isaac Pluvier. He was a successful watchmaker, who came up out of the Blackfriars area of London, a hub of Huguenot making. He was professionally active from 1637 until his death in 1665. Only a handful of his technically complex and sumptuously decorated watches survive. These comprise the decadent amber and gilt brass-cased verge watch in the form of a pear drop, a luxuriant gold and painted enamel-cased verge watch and the exquisite Lennox Pluvier Watch, newly exhibited here on Clocktime. The Lennox Pluvier Watch was probably commissioned by King Charles II as a gift for Frances Teresa Stuart, one of the great beauties of the King’s court, who was known as La Belle Stuart. The provenance of this watch and evidence from Pluvier’s will provide tantalising insights into the world that he inhabited and his movements within it. Beginnings: Huguenot roots Where Pluvier was born and where he trained are not known. However, it is possible to piece together a plausible timeline for the watchmaker’s early life based on the circumstances by which he first appears in the historical record. We first hear of Pluvier in 1637. This is the year that he joined the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers as a journeyman working for David Boquet (or Boguet), who was professionally active from 1632 in London. Boquet was a Huguenot of French origin and maker of exquisitely decorated watches. His workshop was probably in the Blackfriars area of London.[1] Based on the system of apprenticeship in place and professional practices in play during the 1630s, it is likely that Pluvier was trained by Boquet.[2] During the 1500s to 1631, aspiring clock- and watchmakers typically completed apprenticeships through guilds, such as the Goldsmiths’ and Blacksmiths’ Companies. This system was first formalised in the 1563 Statute of Artificers (The Elizabeth statute). It specified that an apprentice (who was almost always a boy) would be contractually indentured to a Master for a seven-year term of training. Typically this training began around the age of fourteen. Most apprentices completed their training in their early twenties. Common practice, if all went well, was that the Master (or another established maker with his own workshop) would take on the graduated apprentice as a journeyman . Pluvier’s training would have begun just before the establishment of London’s Clockmaking guild, The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, in 1631. The guild carried over and further formalised the apprenticeship system as specified in the Stature of Artificers described above. Of course, there is also the possibility that Pluvier was trained as a watchmaker on the Continent. Apparently, he had family in Haarlem and Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Yet, there is no record or mention of any activities by a maker of this name in The Netherlands, and no documentation or details survive to confirm European training or contradict a scenario in which Pluvier was trained by Boquet. Therefore, the London training arc described above could very well have been Pluvier’s experience. If so, we can surmise that he was in his early twenties when he became a journeyman in 1637, and that he began his training around the age of 14, probably in 1630. By way of logic, this suggests that Pluvier was probably born around 1615. Huguenot ties and community Whether Pluvier was a Huguenot immigrant, or an Englishman of Huguenot descent is unclear. It is also unclear whether he or his family were French Huguenots, Dutch Protestants or Waloons.[3] The name ‘Pluvier’ (and its variant spellings) is undoubtedly Huguenot in the context of London during the early 1600s.[4] Also, his link to Boquet further confirms his Huguenot ties. As mentioned above, Boquet worded in the Blackfriars area of London. During this time, the area was a well-established, vibrant hub of Huguenot industry, peopled by highly skilled artisans, many of which were Huguenot and Dutch Protestant. These makers often took on apprentices from Huguenot and Dutch Protestant families. The Blackfriars community took root after the first wave of Huguenot immigration to Britain following the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in France on 24–25 August 1572. This was this event that marked the start of a wave of violence directed against Protestants across France. The massacre was the product of political subterfuge and religious rivalries running rampant in the French court. Catherine de’ Medici, who was the mother of the French King Charles IX, colluded with the Catholic House of Guise to assassinate the Huguenot Admiral de Coligny in retaliation for the murder of François de Guise in 1563. In August 1572, Huguenot nobility travelled to Paris, a Catholic city, to celebrate the marriage of the Protestant Henry of Navarre to Princess Margaret, sister to King Charles IX. The wedding took place on 18 August. Four days later, there was a failed assassination attempt on de Coligny. The Huguenot nobles were livid. Although the King promised to punish the culprits, an army of 4000 men commanded by de Coligny’s brother-in-law camped just outside Paris. On the evening of 23 August, Catherine met with Charles to discuss the crisis. It is widely accepted that the King agreed that the Protestant leaders must be eradicated. The municipal authorities of Paris were instructed to mobilise the citizenry to prevent any attempted uprising by the Protestants and to secure the city gates. The killings began just before dawn on 24 August, St Bartholomew’s Day. Admiral Coligny was one of the first victims. Huguenots were dragged from buildings by mobs of Catholic Parisians and slaughtered throughout the city well into the next day. Violence soon spread to the provinces of Rouen, Lyon, Bourges, Boudreaux and Orleans, and disturbances continued into October. Scholars estimate that, over the course of these few months, 3000 French Protestants were killed in Paris, and as many as 70,000 across the country. The massacre also marked the resumption of the French Wars of Religion, which lasted until the end of the 1500s. During these wars, some 300,000 Protestants were murdered, and others all over Europe lived in fear for their lives. The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre certainly precipitated a Huguenot diaspora from Catholic to Protestant states. Many fled to England, where the Protestant Queen, Elizabeth I, especially welcomed skilled Huguenot’s and Dutch Protestant artisans such as the clockmakers John and Nicholas Vallin, who emigrated to London in 1590 as part of this wave. The displacement and subsequent arrival of skilled Protestant artisans in London contributed to the city’s burgeoning clockmaking market during the late 1500s and early 1600s, because they brought their knowledge and skills with them. Many went on to call the Blackfriars area of London home. They also trained many up-and-coming English makers. You can read more about Huguenot contributions to clockmaking in London here. Regulating foreigners As mentioned above, Pluvier became professionally active as a journeyman just six years after the establishment of London’s clockmaking guild, The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, which was royally chartered in 1631. Prior to this, the London clockmakers did not have their own guild. Clockmaking apprenticeships were often undertaken through other guilds, such as the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Blacksmith’s Company.[5] In response to the influx of highly skilled Huguenot clock- and watchmakers during the early 1600s, London clockmakers became insistent that they needed their own guild to regulate the ability of these foreign clockmakers to make and sell their wares in London. In 1622, the London clockmakers submitted a petition to King James VI and I. The petition was not successful, and clockmaking in London continued to be unregulated. In 1627, the clockmakers tried again, petitioning King Charles I for the grant of a letters patent, allowing them freedom to control their work throughout London. Like their earlier petition, this one also failed after lobbying by the Blacksmiths’ Company. When the clockmakers again approached the King in 1631, Charles was strapped for cash and much more receptive to their project. in 1631, The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers was successfully chartered.[6] The new guild’s primary functions were to protect the interests of the London watch- and clockmakers, set standards of quality and skill, and formalise and supervise the training of apprentices. The main way it did this was by regulating the ability of foreign workers, principally Huguenots, to make and sell their wares in the City of London. It also prohibited the use of foreign workers within the jurisdiction of the guild.[7] This is the environment in which Pluvier became active as a London-based watchmaker. Over the years, he appears to have navigated the system with general success. He was fined by the Company for reasons unknown in 1646. This appears to be the only instance of his running afoul of the Clockmakers Company. This sort of transgression was not unusual, as many makers frequently found themselves subject to regulation and fines by the guild. [8] In 1647, Pluvier took on Joseph Munday as an apprentice.[9] It was not until 1651 that he became a Free Brother of the Company.[10] A maker of courtly objects By the 1640s, Pluvier had carved a niche for himself as a successful specialist craftsman of luxury watches. Since their invention, watches were actively coveted and gifted as objects of splendour to express status and court favours.[11] They first appeared in the royal courts of Europe during 1400s and were owned by royalty and members of the ruling class, as these were the only people who could afford them. The subsequent development of watches remained a court-driven phenomenon, fuelled by the competition and conspicuous consumption of the European ruling classes. Right on through the 1660s, early verge watches remained courtly objects. They were still incredibly expensive and seen as one of the latest technological marvels. Although, by modern standards, early verge watches were not very accurate or reliable, they were coveted for being the first complete portable timekeepers and were regarded as the epitome of opulent luxury. Despite the limits of early verge watch technology, watchmakers, such as Pluvier, made successful careers of packing in multiple complications to these tiny decadent packages. Only three of Pluvier’s watches are known to have survived. Each one is typical of watches made during this time: all are pre-balance spring verge watches, sumptuously decorated and crowded with expensive complications. They would have been worn on a chain around the waist or neck, as was the fashion at the time. The first Pluvier survival is a stunning amber-cased, early verge watch, made between 1645 and 1655 and housed at the British Museum (Museum number 1958,1201.2309). The drop-shaped amber case resembles a jewelled pear. It features a silver dial with an engraved centre. The second survival is also at the British Museum. It is a gold painted enamel verge watch (Museum number 1958,1201.3128), also made between 1645 and 1655.[12] Its back band and outside lid are decorated with polychrome painted enamel flowers on a black ground. The inside of the lid has a similar border which surrounds a central landscape with a church and river, a man playing a pipe and two sheep. Its dial centre is also decorated with polychrome painted enamel flowers. It has a circular gilt-brass movement with three-wheel train, fusee with gut line, English stop-work, four pierced Egyptian pillars and engraved decoration around the verge aperture. The third survival is the outstanding and highly important Lennox Pluvier Watch, which was made around 1665.[13] This lavishly decorated early verge watch is also crowded with expensive complications. Notably, it features one of the earliest subsidiary seconds dial on an English watch. It also includes a dual calendar system and a two-arm balance with set-up disc for adjusting the watch’s speed. The centre disc on its dial features a polychrome enamel painting of Venus and Cupid. This is surrounded by a translucent green champlevé enamel chapter ring and an outer gold and blue champlevé calendar ring. The painted enamel set-up disc (mentioned above), which is mounted on the watch’s backplate, features a figure of a blindfolded Fortuna (the Roman goddess of fortune). The painted enamel subsidiary seconds dial, also on the backplate, features a polychrome enamel painting of Chronos. The love-themed Lennox Pluvier Watch was probably commissioned by King Charles II and gifted to the sixteen-year-old Frances Teresa Stuart, one of the greatest beauties to grace the King’s court. It is a bona-fide object of courtly love. You can read this watch’s charming story here. Making amidst instability Based on an inventory list included in Pluvier’s will of whole clocks and watches, movements and various items of jewellery and plate,[14] as well as the achievement of his surviving watches, Pluvier appears to have run and maintained a healthy watchmaking business right up to his death in 1665. This was no mean feat, as the intervening years were marked by wider political and economic instability that, in turn, impacted the clockmaking market. From 1642 to 1651, the English Civil Wars raged, and King Charles I exacted crippling fees on the City and its guilds to provide funding for his wars. The period leading up to the English Civil Wars was disastrous for London’s guilds. For example, the Clockmakers’ and Goldsmiths’ Companies were greatly affected by the assaying of plate (i.e. the recalling and melting down of objects, including currency, made of gold, silver and other metals) that took place.[15] During this period, metals were extremely hard to come by. The clockmakers must have been hit hard by this. Then, in 1649, the monarchy was overthrown, and Charles was executed for high treason by beheading. The Puritan Roundhead general Oliver Cromwell established a Commonwealth. During the 1650s, the assaying of plate continued. This is why so few watches of pure silver or gold datable to this decade survive. Clockmakers also contended with a scarcity of brass. In 1657, Cromwell was installed the Lord Protector of what would be a short-lived British Republic. He imposed economic austerity and effectively turned England into a police state. In 1658, Cromwell died suddenly and was succeeded as Lord Protector by his son, Richard. With no power base, in either Parliament or the Army, Richard was forced to resign in May 1659, an event that marked the end of the Protectorate. No clear leadership emerged, and, shortly thereafter, the necessary constitutional adjustments were made to invite Charles II (the son and heir of King Charles I) to return from exile and be King of England under a restored monarchy. Charles II was restored to the throne, becoming King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660. Just like that, the English Commonwealth ended, and England’s monarchy was restored. To survive in this climate of tumultuous and rapid change, clockmakers had to be resourceful and flexible. While we will never know how Pluvier guided his business through these extreme shifts in power and economic flux, there is evidence for how Edward East, a contemporary London maker, managed to stay afloat and thrive during this period. As the favourite clockmaker of Charles I, it is often assumed that East was an ardent Royalist. The reality was much more complex. First and foremost, he was a businessman who prioritised success over political ideologies, in effect practising real politik. Therefore, his politics, which were fluid, served his practical business interests. In contrast to the clockmaker Ahasuerus Fromanteel who publicly aligned himself with Cromwell, East played his cards close to his chest. For instance, East was a high-ranking member of the Goldsmiths’ and the Clockmakers’ Companies. The Goldsmiths’ were key financiers of the Roundhead army, investing over £17,000 towards the Parliamentarian cause.[16] Despite his royal patronage, there is no evidence that East objected to this. In fact, we know that he quietly supported the Roundheads; apparently, he later took ownership of a property in West Meath, Ireland, in repayment for a personal loan to Cromwell’s army. During the Commonwealth period (1649–1660), East’s approach paid off and he prospered conspicuously. Perhaps Pluvier played a similar game by prioritising success over political ideologies and playing his cards close to his chest. When King Charles II returned to power in 1660, he immediately re-instituted the monarchies the systems of patronage. Both East and Pluvier benefitted directly from this. East became the King’s royal clockmaker, and Pluvier was commissioned to make the superb watch now known as the Lennox Pluvier Watch. 'Sicke in Body' While Charles IIs’ reign is associated with a flourishing of the arts and sciences in England, the return of the monarchy and its systems of royal patronage did not guarantee a return to stability. In fact, the early 1660s got off to a rocky start. London was still recovering from the economic austerity of the Commonwealth, when it was rocked by another cataclysmic event. In 1665, the city experienced the worst outbreak of bubonic plague during that century. This dramatically impacted the clockmakers, and tragically, Pluvier was one the many that did not survive. In September of 1665, Pluvier wrote his will, an excerpt of which is published by the horologist John C. Steven’s in his 1962 article ‘The will of Isaack Pluvier.’ In January 1666, Pluvier’s will was proved. This indicates that the watchmaker probably died at some point between October and the end of December in 1665. Within four short months of writing his will, Pluvier was gone. This and the content of his will suggest that Pluvier was caught on the back foot when it came to settling his affairs. For instance, he includes instructions regarding the distribution of his assets and stock, as well as an inventory of stock from his workshop (Stevens publishes this entire list in the article mentioned above).[17] It included whole clocks and watches, movements and various items of jewellery and plate. This indicates that Pluvier was not able to liquidate his assets or unload his stock before his death. Typically, a clockmaker approaching retirement would wind down his business before writing his will. Also, in his will, Pluvier describes himself as ‘being Sicke in Body, but of Good and perfect memory…’. All this suggests that Pluver had fallen sick, probably from plague, and was forced to get his affairs in order fast.[18] The fact that he also still owed payment to one of his case maker’s, identified as ‘Horne’, as detailed in his will, supports this scenario. The list of stock that Pluvier provided in the inventory list attached to his will is remarkable. It gives us a snapshot of Pluvier’s business in full swing, right up to the moment that he unexpectedly fell sick. It also provides insight into Pluvier’s design practice and interests. As mentioned above, the Lennox Pluvier Watch features a subsidiary seconds dial. This complication was highly unusual and innovative. At the time, precision timekeeping had not yet developed far enough for a seconds hand to make much sense. By modern standards, this watch’s seconds dial was not a reliable timekeeper – it was only capable of keeping time for very short durations.[19] Yet, Pluvier’s inventory list includes six watches with seconds hands. Intriguingly, this suggests that Pluvier was grappling with counting the seconds and pushing the boundaries of early verge watch technology as a matter of practice. Regrettably, none of Pluvier’s other watches with seconds hands survive. The Great Plague of London exacted a large toll on the London clockmakers. Pluvier as well as many of his fellow clock- and watchmakers fell victim to the disease – their lives and careers cut short. Sadly, Pluvier’s master David Boquet, who also died in 1665, was probably a fellow victim of plague, and the brilliant clockmaker Samuel Knibb also died of plague around 1670. Just a few short years after Pluvier’s death, in 1670, the English polymath Robert Hooke and the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens (working independently of one another) invented the balance spring for watches. This was a horological break-through, because it greatly increased the accuracy of watches. What would Pluvier have accomplished with this new technology had he lived? Dr Kristin Leith, Curator of Clocktime December 2025 End Notes [1] David Bouquet was admitted to the London Blacksmiths' Company in 1628. His clocks and watches have exceptionally fine cases. His family were connected with the diamond and jewellery trades. [2] Finch et al. 2024; Loomes 2006. [3] Waloons are a French-speaking ethnic group from southeastern Belgium and neighbouring parts of France. Historically, they were primarily Roman Catholic with a minority of Protestantism. The religious persecution of this minority during the late 1500s compelled to the migration of Waloons to Protestant countries, such as England. [4] Dr Tessa Murdoch, Chair of the Huguenot Museum (Rochester, UK), personal communication. Also, there are numerous spellings of Pluvier’s surname in the historical record, including Pleuvier, Plaevier, Plevier, Pluier, Pleuvier, Plovier as mentioned by Baillie (1985) and Britten (1986). [5] The Goldsmith’s Company was first referenced in the 1179-1180 Pipe Roll entry. It received its royal charter in 1327. The Blacksmith’s Company first appears in the historical record in 1299. It received its royal charter in 1571. [6] The charter for the new London guild created a corporate body for all the clockmakers in the City of London, as well as those within a radius of 10 miles around the city. Regulatory powers covered England and Wales. It also specified that the new fellowship should be governed by a Master, three Wardens, and ten or more Assistants who would form a court. Learn more about the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers by visiting their website. [7] In their workshops outside the jurisdiction of the Clockmakers’ Company, clockmakers Edward East and Ahasuerus Fromanteel employed immigrant Huguenot workers, as did the Scot and Royal Clockmaker David Ramsay before them – an activity that the Charter of the Clockmakers’ Company was intended to prevent. Yet, the Clockmakers tended to turn a blind eye to East’s activities due to his status within the Company first as a Warden and later as twice Master. By way of contrast, the Court of the Company hounded Freemen of the Company, such as Fromanteel, for this violation. [8] Ibid [9] Carter 2021, 48; Garnier and Hollis, 201. Joseph Munday would go on to become a successful watchmaker in London, creating the Silver Astronomical Verge Pocket around 1660 which is coming soon to Clocktime. [10] Carter 2021, 48; Finch et al. 2024. [11] Koeppe 2019; Plassmeyer 2019. [12] Canter 2017; Jagger 1988, pl. 13. [13] Carter 2021, 46-49, Catalogue No. 10; Garnier and Hollis 2018, 201, Catalogue No. 41; Taylor et al. 2020, 16 Exhibition No.2:3. [14] Stevens 1962. [15] King Charles I extracted so many fees on the City and its guilds that the Goldsmiths’ Company resorted to borrowing large amounts of money and was heavily in debt. Many major items of plate (precious metals) were sold to keep the company afloat. During the English Civil Wars, the Company’s court records show that ‘assaying of plate’ was all but stopped. See https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/company/history/history-of-the-company/ [16] Carter 2021a, 36. [17] Stevens 1962. [18] Stevens 1962, 21. [19] The application of a seconds hand to multiple watches appears around this time, and Pluvier seems to have been grappling with counting the seconds as a matter of practice, based on ‘several seconds watches’ listed in an inventory attached to his will of 1665 (Stevens 1962). References Baillie, G. H. 1985. Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World. Ipswich, UK: N.A.G. Press. Beringen, J. 2012. Horloges van Nederlandse uurwerkmakers: 17e -vroeg 19e eeuw. Utrecht: Labor Grafimedia B. V. Britten, F. J. 1986. Britten’s Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers: A history of styles in clocks and watches and their mechanisms (9th edition). London: Bloomsbury Books. Cantor, A. 2017. ‘MrWatchMaster visits: the British Museum – Time in reserve’ in MrWatchMaster https://www.mrwatchmaster.com/mrwatchmaster-visits-the-british-museum-time-in-reserve/ Carter, J. 2021. The John C Taylor Collection: Part II (Selling Exhibition Catalogue, Carter Marsh & Co.). Winchester: Carter Marsh & Co. Elzas, M. 1975. Het horloge in den loop der eeuwen. Nederlands: Thieme, Zutphen. Finch AA, Finch VJ & Finch AW (2024) A directory of Early English Clockmakers and Apprentices from https://adrianfinchblog.wordpress.com/clockmakers/directory-of-early-clockmakers-and-apprentices/ Garnier, R. and L. Hollis. 2018. Innovation & Collaboration: The early development of the pendulum clock in London. Isle of Man: Fromanteel Ltd. Jagger, C. 1988. The Artistry of the English Watch. London, Newton Abbot: David & Charles. Koeppe, W. 2019. Making Marvels: Science and splendour at the courts of Europe. New York, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Morpugo, E. 1970. Nederlandse klokken – en horlogemakers vanaf 1300. Nederlands: Gelezen. Peters, C. 2012. Hollandse horloges. 1580-1786. Nederlands: Zaandam N.M.U. Plassmeyer, P. 2019. ‘Scientific instruments as courtly objects’ in Making Marvels: Science and splendour at the courts of Europe. New York, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Spierdijk, C. 1973. Horloges en horlogemakers. Nederlands: H.J.W. Becht. Stevens, J. C. 1962. ‘The Will of Isaack Pluvier: Containing an inventory of a London clockmaker’s stock just prior to the Great Fire’ in Antiquarian Horology 1:4, 18–21. Taylor, J. C. and K. Leith (with contributions from T. Phillipson and K. Neate). 2020. The Luxury of Time: Clocks from 1500–1800. Isle of Man: Fromanteel Ltd. Further Reading Loomes, B. 2006. Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World. London: N.A.G. Press.
