.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
According to the Archives of Montres Breguet, the present marine chronometer No. 4858 “horloge marine à deux barillets, petit modèle” was sold on 5 September 1834 by M. Ducom, Breguet’s agent in Bordeaux, for the sum of 2,000 francs.
As in all other fields of horology, Abraham-Louis Breguet contributed significantly to the development of marine chronometers, a category on which he had begun working already around 1796. In 1814 he became a member of the Board of Longitude in Paris, a body set up by the National Convention in 1795 with the aim of perfecting the various fields of astronomy and their application in geography, navigation and physics. The prestigious Board comprised some twenty members, including mathematicians, astronomers, former navigators and associated craftsmen - Breguet being the sole representative of the clockmaking profession, crucial for physicists and navigators. The second recognition followed on 27 October 1815 when he was bestowed "Horloger de la Marine", Horloger to the Royal Navy, by the King, a nomination confirming highest scientific ability and unquestionably the most prestigious title a clockmaker could aspire to. He consequently became the accredited (however not exclusive) supplier to the navy and by 1818, the production of marine chronometers was well under way. Supply of these pieces was not limited to the French Navy and Breguet sold his chronometers also to retailers in the principal French ports, such as Ducom in Bordeaux, and to private individuals, including naval officers, scientists and foreign clients, notably the London Board of Longitude. Taking is position as Horloger de la Marine extremely seriously, he published in 1817 the 23-page booklet "Instructions on the Use of Marine Watches made by M. Breguet", an informative manual full of advice on the use of marine timepieces and the verification of their accuracy (see Breguet - Watchmakers since 1766 by Emmanuel Breguet, pp. 244 - 246).
The high prices paid by the French Marine resulted in luxurious chronometers of finest finishing in sumptuous mahogany boxes with hand-finished brass fittings, beautifully combining esthetical appeal and finest precision timekeeping.
Breguet’s marine chronometers are described and illustrated in Emmanuel Breguet’s Breguet, Watchmakers since 1775, pp. 244-249, and Breguet, an Apogee of European Watchmaking, pp. 176-187, and in George Daniel’s The Art of Breguet, pp. 84-87 and 285, pl. 359a-b (twin barrel chronometer no. 4841, also sold in 1834).
As in all other fields of horology, Abraham-Louis Breguet contributed significantly to the development of marine chronometers, a category on which he had begun working already around 1796. In 1814 he became a member of the Board of Longitude in Paris, a body set up by the National Convention in 1795 with the aim of perfecting the various fields of astronomy and their application in geography, navigation and physics. The prestigious Board comprised some twenty members, including mathematicians, astronomers, former navigators and associated craftsmen - Breguet being the sole representative of the clockmaking profession, crucial for physicists and navigators. The second recognition followed on 27 October 1815 when he was bestowed "Horloger de la Marine", Horloger to the Royal Navy, by the King, a nomination confirming highest scientific ability and unquestionably the most prestigious title a clockmaker could aspire to. He consequently became the accredited (however not exclusive) supplier to the navy and by 1818, the production of marine chronometers was well under way. Supply of these pieces was not limited to the French Navy and Breguet sold his chronometers also to retailers in the principal French ports, such as Ducom in Bordeaux, and to private individuals, including naval officers, scientists and foreign clients, notably the London Board of Longitude. Taking is position as Horloger de la Marine extremely seriously, he published in 1817 the 23-page booklet "Instructions on the Use of Marine Watches made by M. Breguet", an informative manual full of advice on the use of marine timepieces and the verification of their accuracy (see Breguet - Watchmakers since 1766 by Emmanuel Breguet, pp. 244 - 246).
The high prices paid by the French Marine resulted in luxurious chronometers of finest finishing in sumptuous mahogany boxes with hand-finished brass fittings, beautifully combining esthetical appeal and finest precision timekeeping.
Breguet’s marine chronometers are described and illustrated in Emmanuel Breguet’s Breguet, Watchmakers since 1775, pp. 244-249, and Breguet, an Apogee of European Watchmaking, pp. 176-187, and in George Daniel’s The Art of Breguet, pp. 84-87 and 285, pl. 359a-b (twin barrel chronometer no. 4841, also sold in 1834).