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Lot Essay
This stunning example of the House of Breguet’s 21st century complicated watches, the reference 3755 ‘openworked’ perpetual calendar tourbillon with retrograde date combines superb aesthetics with classic complications. In excellent overall condition and sold with full set of accessories, this masterpiece is a fitting tribute to the horological legacy of Abraham Louis Breguet and captures the genius and essence of Breguet’s original ideas.
The manual winding entirely hand-engraved movement features the one-minute tourbillon, a device for equalizing positional errors that was invented and patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself in 1801, and a perpetual calendar which self-adjusts for the number of days in the month and the leap-years. The dial, made from silvered gold has openworked chapter rings for the time, calendar functions and constant seconds. A fascinating feature of the calendar is the retrograde date indication at the top of the dial, an ingenious system whereby when the hand reaches either 30 or 31, depending on the number of days in the month, it instantaneously ‘flies’ back to the 1 position. The classic Breguet 39 mm. platinum case with polished bezels, straight lugs and reeded band is glazed on both sides to allow the full beauty and technical virtuosity of the movement to be appreciated.
The Tourbillon
On 10 November 1801, horological legend Abraham Louis Breguet (1747-1823) received a patent for his ingenious tourbillon invention. Breguet designed the tourbillon (or whirlwind) to compensate for fluctuations and errors in time measurement caused by the position a watch is placed in. For example, watches with traditional movements may keep excellent time when resting on a desk horizontally, but when that same watch is placed vertically in a pocket, gravity affects the frequency or rate of the escapement and thus its accuracy. Breguet's invention compensated for these gravitational effects by placing the escapement in a revolving carriage. As the tourbillon carriage revolves (usually one entire revolution per minute), its position constantly changes and consequently the fluctuations in rate caused by gravity are averaged out. Once a tourbillon watch is properly adjusted, the effects of gravity are essentially neutralized, regardless of how it is positioned. Breguet’s patent from France's ministry of the interior for "a new regulating device known as the tourbillon" was dated according to the republican calendar of the time, 7 Messidor, Year IX (26th June 1801).
The manual winding entirely hand-engraved movement features the one-minute tourbillon, a device for equalizing positional errors that was invented and patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself in 1801, and a perpetual calendar which self-adjusts for the number of days in the month and the leap-years. The dial, made from silvered gold has openworked chapter rings for the time, calendar functions and constant seconds. A fascinating feature of the calendar is the retrograde date indication at the top of the dial, an ingenious system whereby when the hand reaches either 30 or 31, depending on the number of days in the month, it instantaneously ‘flies’ back to the 1 position. The classic Breguet 39 mm. platinum case with polished bezels, straight lugs and reeded band is glazed on both sides to allow the full beauty and technical virtuosity of the movement to be appreciated.
The Tourbillon
On 10 November 1801, horological legend Abraham Louis Breguet (1747-1823) received a patent for his ingenious tourbillon invention. Breguet designed the tourbillon (or whirlwind) to compensate for fluctuations and errors in time measurement caused by the position a watch is placed in. For example, watches with traditional movements may keep excellent time when resting on a desk horizontally, but when that same watch is placed vertically in a pocket, gravity affects the frequency or rate of the escapement and thus its accuracy. Breguet's invention compensated for these gravitational effects by placing the escapement in a revolving carriage. As the tourbillon carriage revolves (usually one entire revolution per minute), its position constantly changes and consequently the fluctuations in rate caused by gravity are averaged out. Once a tourbillon watch is properly adjusted, the effects of gravity are essentially neutralized, regardless of how it is positioned. Breguet’s patent from France's ministry of the interior for "a new regulating device known as the tourbillon" was dated according to the republican calendar of the time, 7 Messidor, Year IX (26th June 1801).