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Lot Essay
This fine and technically superior watch is of very high-grade and finish, it was sold for the enormous sum of 4000 Francs in 1819, one of Breguet’s most expensive watches at the time. The price reflected the high cost of making his watches with lever escapements, a category of watches described in the archives as being “sur les principes des chronomètres" (constructed on the principles of the chronometers) to distinguish their superior qualities such as precision balance and full jewelling in addition to the lever escapement.
The engraved inscription inside the back cover of the present watch reads: “Countess Cowley, 20 Albemarle Street, London, £10 Reward will be paid if lost” . This shows just how highly prized and valued Breguet’s watches were to their owners.
The movement is fitted with Breguet’s final form of the lever escapement made from 1812 onwards developed for the purpose of enabling Breguet to produce a reliable watch with a close rate for everyday wear. The balance is made of a laminae of steel and a special silver/copper alloy which was apparently invented by Breguet and employed in only his best watches including the perpetuelles. The silver dial is of the "two-piece" type whereby the subsidiary seconds ring is made as a separate part and secured to the main dial by two blued steel screws from the reverse.
Breguet’s method of winding the repeating train with the pull-twist-push piston was his own invention and can be found either in the pendant or in the band as in the present watch. It was very expensive to make and its purpose was essentially to give the watch a neater appearance.
The construction used for the hammer to strike the gong in the present watch is Breguet’s most sophisticated, when the repeating is activated the hammer does not make direct contact with the coiled gong. Placed between the hammer and gong is an intermediary solid hammer fixed to the plate by screws, the primary hammer makes contact with the fixed hammer which in turn strike the gong. This system was developed by Michel Weber, Breguet's chief craftsman in June 1793 and was intended to improve the sound of the gong. The intermediate hammer was intended to form a connection between the hammer and the gong so that the main hammer would strike against the intermediate hammer to deliver the impulse to the gong no matter what spring tension the main hammer was under therefore giving and undistorted sound. Breguet said "we will equip all our best watches with this system in future".
See: A.L. Breguet, Watchmaker to Kings, Thomas Engel, 1994, p. 46, The Art of Breguet, George Daniels, pp. 304- 313
John Broadhurst
John Broadhurst was member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, 1812-1813, Hedon, 1813-1818 and finally Sudbury (Suffolk) from 1818-1820. Under the terms of his father’s will Broadhurst, on attaining his majority, inherited estates in the counties of Derby, Nottingham and Northumberland. He served in the Peninsular war and was present at the retreat from Corunna. His former colonel, the Duke of Cumberland, recommended him for nomination at Weymouth in the election of 1812 but the election was voided after unfavourable publicity regarding the Duke’s involvement. He successfully contested the Sudbury seat in 1818 where he professed independence.
Broadhurst was subsequently the author of a Letter to Lord Melbourne on the Irish Church and Irish Tithes (1835); of Reasons for not repealing the Corn Laws (1839); and of Political Economy (1842. He died 15 Sept. 1861.
See: The History of Parliament, Vol. 1790-1820, Winifred Stokes & R.G. Thorne.
Olivia Cecilia Wellesley, Countess Wellesley
The Hon. Olivia Cecilia Wellesley, Countess Wellesley, née FitzGerald-de Ros was born in 1807, granddaughter of the 1st Duke of Leinster. She married the British diplomat Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley in 1833. Cowley was the nephew of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, “The Iron Duke”. Henry Wellesley was appointed envoy to Paris in 1852, at the time the most important post in British diplomacy. Countess Cowley died on 21 April 1885 at 20 Albemarle Street, London.
The engraved inscription inside the back cover of the present watch reads: “Countess Cowley, 20 Albemarle Street, London, £10 Reward will be paid if lost” . This shows just how highly prized and valued Breguet’s watches were to their owners.
The movement is fitted with Breguet’s final form of the lever escapement made from 1812 onwards developed for the purpose of enabling Breguet to produce a reliable watch with a close rate for everyday wear. The balance is made of a laminae of steel and a special silver/copper alloy which was apparently invented by Breguet and employed in only his best watches including the perpetuelles. The silver dial is of the "two-piece" type whereby the subsidiary seconds ring is made as a separate part and secured to the main dial by two blued steel screws from the reverse.
Breguet’s method of winding the repeating train with the pull-twist-push piston was his own invention and can be found either in the pendant or in the band as in the present watch. It was very expensive to make and its purpose was essentially to give the watch a neater appearance.
The construction used for the hammer to strike the gong in the present watch is Breguet’s most sophisticated, when the repeating is activated the hammer does not make direct contact with the coiled gong. Placed between the hammer and gong is an intermediary solid hammer fixed to the plate by screws, the primary hammer makes contact with the fixed hammer which in turn strike the gong. This system was developed by Michel Weber, Breguet's chief craftsman in June 1793 and was intended to improve the sound of the gong. The intermediate hammer was intended to form a connection between the hammer and the gong so that the main hammer would strike against the intermediate hammer to deliver the impulse to the gong no matter what spring tension the main hammer was under therefore giving and undistorted sound. Breguet said "we will equip all our best watches with this system in future".
See: A.L. Breguet, Watchmaker to Kings, Thomas Engel, 1994, p. 46, The Art of Breguet, George Daniels, pp. 304- 313
John Broadhurst
John Broadhurst was member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, 1812-1813, Hedon, 1813-1818 and finally Sudbury (Suffolk) from 1818-1820. Under the terms of his father’s will Broadhurst, on attaining his majority, inherited estates in the counties of Derby, Nottingham and Northumberland. He served in the Peninsular war and was present at the retreat from Corunna. His former colonel, the Duke of Cumberland, recommended him for nomination at Weymouth in the election of 1812 but the election was voided after unfavourable publicity regarding the Duke’s involvement. He successfully contested the Sudbury seat in 1818 where he professed independence.
Broadhurst was subsequently the author of a Letter to Lord Melbourne on the Irish Church and Irish Tithes (1835); of Reasons for not repealing the Corn Laws (1839); and of Political Economy (1842. He died 15 Sept. 1861.
See: The History of Parliament, Vol. 1790-1820, Winifred Stokes & R.G. Thorne.
Olivia Cecilia Wellesley, Countess Wellesley
The Hon. Olivia Cecilia Wellesley, Countess Wellesley, née FitzGerald-de Ros was born in 1807, granddaughter of the 1st Duke of Leinster. She married the British diplomat Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley in 1833. Cowley was the nephew of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, “The Iron Duke”. Henry Wellesley was appointed envoy to Paris in 1852, at the time the most important post in British diplomacy. Countess Cowley died on 21 April 1885 at 20 Albemarle Street, London.