Thomas Tompion (1639 – 14 November 1713, London) was an English watchmaker, mechanician and clockmaker born in Bedfordshire, England and is fondly regarded as the “Father of English Clockmaking.
He was the eldest son of a blacksmith and most likely worked as one until 1664, when he apprenticed with a London clockmaker.

His early clock making style was centred on the superior quality of the materials he used as well as the sound design of his productions. This, combined with the exceptional skills of the workers he employed, earned him a legendary status throughout the world.

Tompion was one of the early members of the Clockmaker’s Company of London, joining in 1671 and rising through the ranks to become a master in 1704.

In 1676, King Charles II commissioned Tompion to build two identical clocks based on Hooke's concept of a very long pendulum swinging in a very tiny arc and were controlled by a deadbeat escapement when the Royal Observatory was established. They proved to be extremely precise, and they were crucial in obtaining the right computations required for astronomical observations.

Tompion developed some of the earliest timepieces with balance springs, which had the potential to be far more accurate than earlier watches, thanks to his association with scientist Robert Hooke. Several other types were tried out, including one with two balances that were geared together to eliminate motion faults - "Robert Hooke invent. 1658. T. Tompion fecit, 1675," one of which was signed for King Charles II and the same is also addressed by William Derham in his book “The Artificial Clockmaker”.

Tompion is credited with inventing the form of balance spring regulation found in pocket watches until the late nineteenth century. The curb pins are positioned on a sector rack and are moved by a pinion on which a graduated and numbered disc is mounted.

He also invented a numbering system for his spring and longcase clocks, which is thought to be the first time a serial numbering system was used on produced goods.

During his career as England's most notable watchmaker, Tompion's workshop produced around 5,500 watches and 650 clocks, which were known for their inventive design and sturdy construction.