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Lot Essay
This stunning Breguet ‘Officier’ style wristwatch is also incredibly rare as one of the earliest known examples of a gentleman’s wristwatch by Breguet. In the early 20th century, the number of wristwatches produced by Breguet was extremely small and it is likely that only a tiny quantity of gold wristwatches left their workshops each year. Compared to the other great watch houses, Breguet wristwatches of that period exist in far fewer examples. The present watch presents a superb aesthetic with its clear uncluttered dial with Breguet numerals and substantial and large size (for the period) case. The simple yet sophisticated case design is in fact a Breguet classic that harks back to the famous ‘forme collier’ cases of Breguet pocket watches of the early 19th century. Equally impressive are the elongated lugs with large screwed bars and the large-diameter winding crown. Overall the design can be considered as far ahead of its time.
Wristwatches cased in the ‘Officier’ style were first designed at the beginning of the 20th century and include some of the earliest examples of wristwatches which were originally developed for military purposes, so that reading of the watch would be much more immediate compared to a pocket watch which has to be taken out of a pocket. The distinctive lugs with screw bars are a defining feature of the ‘Officier’ wristwatch, the screwed lugs provided a far more secure system for attaching the strap so that it could not be accidentally detached. The movements of early wristwatches are also quite distinctive and still quite thick, as technical innovations had so far allowed only for limited miniaturization. As a result, the case design is as well relatively thick, and it imparts to the watch a sense of solidity that far exceeds that seen on later watches of similar size. The dial of the present timepiece is simply sublime, quite minimalist in style, it features the highly appreciated and timeless Breguet numerals.
We are indebted to Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for his valuable assistance in researching the present timepiece.
Wristwatches cased in the ‘Officier’ style were first designed at the beginning of the 20th century and include some of the earliest examples of wristwatches which were originally developed for military purposes, so that reading of the watch would be much more immediate compared to a pocket watch which has to be taken out of a pocket. The distinctive lugs with screw bars are a defining feature of the ‘Officier’ wristwatch, the screwed lugs provided a far more secure system for attaching the strap so that it could not be accidentally detached. The movements of early wristwatches are also quite distinctive and still quite thick, as technical innovations had so far allowed only for limited miniaturization. As a result, the case design is as well relatively thick, and it imparts to the watch a sense of solidity that far exceeds that seen on later watches of similar size. The dial of the present timepiece is simply sublime, quite minimalist in style, it features the highly appreciated and timeless Breguet numerals.
We are indebted to Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for his valuable assistance in researching the present timepiece.