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Lot Essay
With Breguet Certificate No. 4414 confirming that the present "montre plate à répétition des demi-quarts, boite or par Joly guilloché, avec compartiment pour portrait, cadran argent guilloché à petites secondes à IV heures, aiguilles Breguet en acier bleui, signatures secrètes de part et d'autre de XII, échappement à cylinder de rubis, pare-chute", half-quarter repeating watch with engine-turned gold case by Joly, with compartment for a portrait, engine-turned silver dial with subsidiary seconds at IV, blued steel Breguet hands, secret signature to both sides of XII, ruby cylinder escapement, pare-chute, was sold to Princess Pauline Borghese on 25 October 1813 for the sum of 2,400 Francs. Furthermore delivered with a gold ratchet key, a winding key often used by Breguet, incorporating a slanted ratchet clutch to prevent winding except in one direction; if turned the wrong way it can harmlessly revolve instead of straining the train and possibly damage the movement.
According to the Archives of Montres Breguet, no certificate was established for the watch at the time of its sale in 1813. Furthermore it has never been returned to the manufacture since, its location unknown until its consignment to this auction.
As the appellation rightfully implies, Abraham-Louis Breguet, king of watchmakers and watchmaker of kings, was the watchmaker of choice of the most eminent noble families at the time. Habitually carefully kept and cherished in the relevant collections from one generation to the other, the public appearance of a timepiece with noble provenance is an exceptionally rare event.
The present "montre plate à répétition des demi-quarts", sold to Princess Pauline Borghese on 25 October 1813, represents one of these exceptionally scarce opportunities to acquire one of the Breguet's "Royal" watches, embodying highest craftsmanship and understated sophistication, categories in which Abraham-Louis Breguet has always been foremost.
In impressively well-preserved original overall condition for its 202 years of age, still perfectly matching its characteristics as stated in the Certificate, the watch has been in the same family for four generations. According to family tradition, it belonged to an ancestor of the present owner, a high-ranking Officier in the "Garde Républicaine" (Republican Guard, established on 4 October 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, dissolved in 1813 and replaced by the Imperial Gendarmerie of Paris). The presence of the secret compartment once containing a portrait and the large, masculine design of the watch lead to the hypothesis that the watch may have been purposely ordered for this officer by Pauline, as a token of her affection. While regrettably not concealed in the watch any longer, one would assume that the portrait was a depiction of her.
Watch no. 2539 incorporates several of Abraham-Louis' numerous inventions, starting with the repeating mechanism which marked a turning point in the history of watchmaking. Introduced in 1783, Breguet's "ressort-timbre", a wire gong surrounding the movement which replaced the hitherto used bell, improved not only the quality of the sound but especially helped to reduce the thickness of a watch considerably. The repeating push-piece concealed in the pendant is another of Breguet's invention. Generally used after 1800, the system is both elegant and reliable. The ruby cylinder movement is fitted with a "suspension élastique", Breguet's ingenious elastic balance suspension also known as pare-chute, the ancestor of the shock-protection devices conceived to protect the pivots from blows. Other typical Breguet style elements found in this watch are the engine-turned silver dial combining two different styles, a technique he introduced around 1787. This new design enhanced not only the readability of the time but also the watches' overall aesthetics. The finely engine-turned case of large size was made in the workshops of the celebrated Jean-Louis Joly, featuring a slim bezel, another of Breguet's signature features, allowing the entire dial to be seen. Of outstandingly high quality, the case allows the hinged cover of the secret compartment to fit so well inbetween the outer cover and the cuvette that it remains perfectly invisible to the untrained eye. The secret portrait compartment was one of the master's few concessions to the caprices of his clientele; he however designed it in a manner as to maintain the overall purity of the watch's design.
Fresh to the market, of superb quality and noble provenance, the present watch is an epitome of Breguet's exceptional work and a highlight for the enthusiast of outstanding timepieces.
We are indebted to Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for his valuable assistance in researching the present watch.
According to the Archives of Montres Breguet, no certificate was established for the watch at the time of its sale in 1813. Furthermore it has never been returned to the manufacture since, its location unknown until its consignment to this auction.
As the appellation rightfully implies, Abraham-Louis Breguet, king of watchmakers and watchmaker of kings, was the watchmaker of choice of the most eminent noble families at the time. Habitually carefully kept and cherished in the relevant collections from one generation to the other, the public appearance of a timepiece with noble provenance is an exceptionally rare event.
The present "montre plate à répétition des demi-quarts", sold to Princess Pauline Borghese on 25 October 1813, represents one of these exceptionally scarce opportunities to acquire one of the Breguet's "Royal" watches, embodying highest craftsmanship and understated sophistication, categories in which Abraham-Louis Breguet has always been foremost.
In impressively well-preserved original overall condition for its 202 years of age, still perfectly matching its characteristics as stated in the Certificate, the watch has been in the same family for four generations. According to family tradition, it belonged to an ancestor of the present owner, a high-ranking Officier in the "Garde Républicaine" (Republican Guard, established on 4 October 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, dissolved in 1813 and replaced by the Imperial Gendarmerie of Paris). The presence of the secret compartment once containing a portrait and the large, masculine design of the watch lead to the hypothesis that the watch may have been purposely ordered for this officer by Pauline, as a token of her affection. While regrettably not concealed in the watch any longer, one would assume that the portrait was a depiction of her.
Watch no. 2539 incorporates several of Abraham-Louis' numerous inventions, starting with the repeating mechanism which marked a turning point in the history of watchmaking. Introduced in 1783, Breguet's "ressort-timbre", a wire gong surrounding the movement which replaced the hitherto used bell, improved not only the quality of the sound but especially helped to reduce the thickness of a watch considerably. The repeating push-piece concealed in the pendant is another of Breguet's invention. Generally used after 1800, the system is both elegant and reliable. The ruby cylinder movement is fitted with a "suspension élastique", Breguet's ingenious elastic balance suspension also known as pare-chute, the ancestor of the shock-protection devices conceived to protect the pivots from blows. Other typical Breguet style elements found in this watch are the engine-turned silver dial combining two different styles, a technique he introduced around 1787. This new design enhanced not only the readability of the time but also the watches' overall aesthetics. The finely engine-turned case of large size was made in the workshops of the celebrated Jean-Louis Joly, featuring a slim bezel, another of Breguet's signature features, allowing the entire dial to be seen. Of outstandingly high quality, the case allows the hinged cover of the secret compartment to fit so well inbetween the outer cover and the cuvette that it remains perfectly invisible to the untrained eye. The secret portrait compartment was one of the master's few concessions to the caprices of his clientele; he however designed it in a manner as to maintain the overall purity of the watch's design.
Fresh to the market, of superb quality and noble provenance, the present watch is an epitome of Breguet's exceptional work and a highlight for the enthusiast of outstanding timepieces.
We are indebted to Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for his valuable assistance in researching the present watch.