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Lot Essay
According to the records of Montres Breguet SA in Paris, the present watch was sold Monsieur Louis Dollfus on 31 May 1924 for the sum of 10,000 Francs, an additional 500 Francs paid on delivery on 19 January 1925.
Jean-Jacques or Jean Dollfus and his brother Louis were most certainly descendents of the famous Dollfus family of industrialists originally from Mulhouse/France and founders of a textile manufacture specialized in needlework.
Jean was born in Paris in 1884, Louis in 1901. Both were passionate watch collectors and regular clients of Breguet. Their collections included mostly highly complicated pocket watches, such as the present one - pocket chronometer watches by Breguet featuring sweep centre seconds and cased in gold are extremely rare.
Other watches known to date sold by Breguet to Jean and Louis Dollfus include the following, listed after the sale dates:
No. 4420 sold to Jean Dollfus on 12 July 1922 for 6,500 Francs:
An 18K gold two train openface perpetual calendar keyless lever watch with phases of the moon, retrograde date indication, independent fly-forward chronograph and jumping 1/5ths of a second
No. 472, the present watch, sold to Louis Dollfus on 31 May 1924 for 10,500 Francs:
An 18K gold openface centre seconds pocket chronometer with spring detent escapement and Guillaume balance
Sold in this saleroom on 15 November 2004, lot 231:
No. 680 sold to Jean Dollfus on 19 February 1926 for 13,500 Francs:
An 18K gold hunter case two train minute repeating keyless lever chronometer clockwatch with grande and petite sonnerie
No. 1285 sold to Jean Dollfus on 25 August 1926 for 10,000 Francs:
An 18K white gold "Chronoscope" or "Wandering Hour" keyless lever dress watch
Sold at Christie's, London, on 24 November 1993, lot 39:
No. 2940 sold to Monsieur Jean Dollfus on 25 February 1928:
A silver astronomical, calendar and alarm carriage timepiece
No. 4344 sold to Louis Dollfus on 26 March 1929 for 6,000 Francs:
An extra flat platinum openface keyless lever dress watch
No. 2170 sold to Louis Dollfus on 30 April 1929 for 6,500 Francs:
An 18K gold openface split seconds chronograph keyless lever watch with tachometer scale and instantaneous 60 minutes register
Sold in this saleroom on 18 May 1998, lot 115:
No. 1389 sold to Jean Dollfus on 11 July 1927 for 25,000 Francs:
An 18K gold openface keyless one minute tourbillon watch
Sold in this saleroom on 18 May 2004, lot 272:
No. 2516 sold to Jean Dollfus on 28 February 1934 for 11,000 Francs:
A unique 18K white gold wristwatch with instantaneous perpetual calendar and phases of the moon.
We are indebted to Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for his advice on the watches sold to Jean and Louis Dollfus.
Jean-Jacques or Jean Dollfus and his brother Louis were most certainly descendents of the famous Dollfus family of industrialists originally from Mulhouse/France and founders of a textile manufacture specialized in needlework.
Jean was born in Paris in 1884, Louis in 1901. Both were passionate watch collectors and regular clients of Breguet. Their collections included mostly highly complicated pocket watches, such as the present one - pocket chronometer watches by Breguet featuring sweep centre seconds and cased in gold are extremely rare.
Other watches known to date sold by Breguet to Jean and Louis Dollfus include the following, listed after the sale dates:
No. 4420 sold to Jean Dollfus on 12 July 1922 for 6,500 Francs:
An 18K gold two train openface perpetual calendar keyless lever watch with phases of the moon, retrograde date indication, independent fly-forward chronograph and jumping 1/5ths of a second
No. 472, the present watch, sold to Louis Dollfus on 31 May 1924 for 10,500 Francs:
An 18K gold openface centre seconds pocket chronometer with spring detent escapement and Guillaume balance
Sold in this saleroom on 15 November 2004, lot 231:
No. 680 sold to Jean Dollfus on 19 February 1926 for 13,500 Francs:
An 18K gold hunter case two train minute repeating keyless lever chronometer clockwatch with grande and petite sonnerie
No. 1285 sold to Jean Dollfus on 25 August 1926 for 10,000 Francs:
An 18K white gold "Chronoscope" or "Wandering Hour" keyless lever dress watch
Sold at Christie's, London, on 24 November 1993, lot 39:
No. 2940 sold to Monsieur Jean Dollfus on 25 February 1928:
A silver astronomical, calendar and alarm carriage timepiece
No. 4344 sold to Louis Dollfus on 26 March 1929 for 6,000 Francs:
An extra flat platinum openface keyless lever dress watch
No. 2170 sold to Louis Dollfus on 30 April 1929 for 6,500 Francs:
An 18K gold openface split seconds chronograph keyless lever watch with tachometer scale and instantaneous 60 minutes register
Sold in this saleroom on 18 May 1998, lot 115:
No. 1389 sold to Jean Dollfus on 11 July 1927 for 25,000 Francs:
An 18K gold openface keyless one minute tourbillon watch
Sold in this saleroom on 18 May 2004, lot 272:
No. 2516 sold to Jean Dollfus on 28 February 1934 for 11,000 Francs:
A unique 18K white gold wristwatch with instantaneous perpetual calendar and phases of the moon.
We are indebted to Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for his advice on the watches sold to Jean and Louis Dollfus.