Tompion's work includes some of the most historic and important clocks and watches in the world, and can command very high prices whenever outstanding examples appear at auction.

A plaque commemorates the house he shared on Fleet Street in London with his equally famous pupil and successor George Graham.

[1] The family cottage in Ickwell, his home hamlet in the parish of Northill, bears a plaque erected in his honor by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in 1952.

Hooke's relationship with Tompion was the key to his success, as it opened doors to royal patronage as well as giving him access to the latest technology.

Many of these workmen had French and Dutch Huguenot origins, for example Daniel and Nicholas Delander, Henry Callot and Charles Molyns, the latter possibly related to the family Windmills.

Importantly, those Huguenots who worked for him in the sphere of decorative arts were able to execute Tompion's demands for the high-quality workmanship on which he founded his unrivalled reputation.

When the Royal Observatory was established in 1676, King Charles II selected Tompion to create two identical clocks based on Hooke's idea of a very long pendulum swinging in a very small arc.

These were fixed in the Octagon room, each was driven by a deadbeat escapement designed by Richard Towneley, with both clocks only needing to be wound once a year.

Several different kinds were experimented with, including an early type with double balances geared together in order to eliminate errors of motion.

It is often stated that Tompion invented the particular type of balance spring regulation in pocket watches widely used until the late 19th century.