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Lot Essay
Presented in extremely good condition, the present “Première Classe” watch is a rare example of one of Breguet’s watches fitted with a duplex escapement. Normally reserved for the grandest of Breguet’s watches, the records list only 33 watches with duplex escapement, they were sometimes called “demi-chronometers". The great care needed to make the duplex escapement resulted in a very high manufacturing cost and thus explains its rarity, it is noted to have exceeded 500 francs, whereas the standard ruby cylinder escapement would cost Breguet an average of 66 francs. The present watch is highly jeweled, with gold cuvette, jump hour hand and half-quarter repetition of Breguet’s design is similar in quality to that of watches built along the principles of the "Garde Temps".
A feature found in a number of Breguet's repeaters is the jump hour. The hand stands stationary until about three minutes to the hour when it begins to move. By the time it is half way to the next hour the minute hand will be at the hour and the hour hand will jump the remaining distance to the hour. Mechanically this works because the usual motion work for the hands is dispensed with and the hour hand is mounted on a wheel geared directly to another wheel on the hour snail star wheel. Because the hour hand is driven from it the hand jumps with the star wheel to each successive hour.
A further interesting feature of the present watch is the construction used for the hammer to strike the gong, it 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 in fact makes contact with the fixed hammer which in turn strikes 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 the sound would be undistorted. Breguet said "we will equip all our best watches with this system in future".
See: Breguet, Watchmaker to Kings, Thomas Engel, A.L., 1994, p. 46.
For an explanation of the Duplex escapement see: The Art of Breguet, George Daniels, 1974, p. 304.
A feature found in a number of Breguet's repeaters is the jump hour. The hand stands stationary until about three minutes to the hour when it begins to move. By the time it is half way to the next hour the minute hand will be at the hour and the hour hand will jump the remaining distance to the hour. Mechanically this works because the usual motion work for the hands is dispensed with and the hour hand is mounted on a wheel geared directly to another wheel on the hour snail star wheel. Because the hour hand is driven from it the hand jumps with the star wheel to each successive hour.
A further interesting feature of the present watch is the construction used for the hammer to strike the gong, it 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 in fact makes contact with the fixed hammer which in turn strikes 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 the sound would be undistorted. Breguet said "we will equip all our best watches with this system in future".
See: Breguet, Watchmaker to Kings, Thomas Engel, A.L., 1994, p. 46.
For an explanation of the Duplex escapement see: The Art of Breguet, George Daniels, 1974, p. 304.