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Lot Essay
The present watch is a very fine example of a complicated timepiece made by Louis Audemars for his faithful client, Breguet in Paris. According to the Archives of Montres Breguet, ébauche and case were supplied by Louis Audemars, finished by Breguet and sold on 29 December 1885 for the amount of 2,500 Francs to Messrs Mir et Cottereau, their agent in Constantinople at the end of the 19th century.
The case is stamped with Louis Audemars' shield-shaped hallmarks, one inscribed "Brassus", one featuring a dog's head and capital letters L.A. for Louis Audemars above the double cross of Lorraine (see Louis-Benjamin Audemars - His Life and Work by Hartmut Zantke, pp. 182 - 187). For a comparable watch, however with the addition of a chronograph, sold by Louis Audemars to Breguet in 1882 see p. 408, op. cit..
The engraved initials on the front cover of the present watch are most likely those of the Ottoman Sultan 'Abdulhamed II, the engraving on the back indicates the Islamic year AH1303 or 1885AD, year of sale of the present watch. The Sultan had often objects made for him featuring these initials, including watches, cigarette boxes, and other decorative items.
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful (1842 - 1918), was the 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He ruled from 31 August 1876 until 27 April 1909 and was succeeded by Mehmed V.
The case is stamped with Louis Audemars' shield-shaped hallmarks, one inscribed "Brassus", one featuring a dog's head and capital letters L.A. for Louis Audemars above the double cross of Lorraine (see Louis-Benjamin Audemars - His Life and Work by Hartmut Zantke, pp. 182 - 187). For a comparable watch, however with the addition of a chronograph, sold by Louis Audemars to Breguet in 1882 see p. 408, op. cit..
The engraved initials on the front cover of the present watch are most likely those of the Ottoman Sultan 'Abdulhamed II, the engraving on the back indicates the Islamic year AH1303 or 1885AD, year of sale of the present watch. The Sultan had often objects made for him featuring these initials, including watches, cigarette boxes, and other decorative items.
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful (1842 - 1918), was the 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He ruled from 31 August 1876 until 27 April 1909 and was succeeded by Mehmed V.