96th Auction

2017/11/18

Lot 394

Abraham-Louis Breguet, Paris, No. 54, 57 mm, 134 g, circa 1802
An important, extremely rare pocket watch with jumping hours and 10-minute repeating, using both: a gong (10 Minute strike) and the case block (hour strike). Sold on Vendémiaire 21, an 11 (October 13, 1802) for the sum of 1600 Francs. With copy of the Breguet records.
Case: 18k gold, engine-turned, signature "Breguet No. 54" at the rim of the middle part, case maker Jeanneret, on the back turquoise enamelled monogram with an earl's crest. Dial: enamel dial by Borel No. 127, signed Breguet, additional secret signature below "12": "No. 54 Breguet". Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, gilt, 1 hammer, 1 gong, shock protection-"parachute", overhanging ruby cylinder escapement, three-arm brass balance, blued balance spring with bimetallic compensation curb on the index.
This watch is illustrated and described in: "The Art of Breguet", Antiquorum Publications, 1991, p. 26/27.
This timekeeper is an excellent example of the watches Breguet began producing after 1790 and which were so much more advanced than those of most other makers at the time. The watch is intriguing not only because of its movement caliber type that was developed for the first repeating garde-temps watches - there is also Breguet’s new double repeating system, which was dumb for the hours and used a gong for the intervalls. This was the first time anyone used a gong fixed to the inside of the case and Breguet was one of the very few makers who created "10" minute repeaters. The style of the gold case is also very typical for the first garde-temps.

Sold

estimated
30.00045.000 €
Price realized
48.100 €