Only Online Auction
Hong Kong, Sep 28, 2022
LOT 26
Breguet
“Souscription”-type pocket watch; 18K yellow gold
HKD 24,600 - 49,200
EUR 3,100 - 6,200 / CHF 3,000 - 6,000 / USD 3,200 - 6,300
18K yellow gold, open-face, key-winding, round-shaped, “souscription”-type pocket watch, with a unique pointer-hand.
Case-back guilloché (engine-turned), with, in the centre, a circle. Bezel equipped with an opening system “à secret” that allows it to be opened for winding and setting the time (by depressing the button on the top of the pendant).
White enamel dial “en cuvette” (bowl-shaped) with radial Roman numerals; blued steel “Breguet” pointer-hand.
Movement 15’’’ ¼, “souscription”-calibre, gilded brass, central going barrel wound from the back only, cylinder escapement, monometallic balance (gilded brass) and blued steel flat hairspring, blued steel index regulator.
Case-back guilloché (engine-turned), with, in the centre, a circle. Bezel equipped with an opening system “à secret” that allows it to be opened for winding and setting the time (by depressing the button on the top of the pendant).
White enamel dial “en cuvette” (bowl-shaped) with radial Roman numerals; blued steel “Breguet” pointer-hand.
Movement 15’’’ ¼, “souscription”-calibre, gilded brass, central going barrel wound from the back only, cylinder escapement, monometallic balance (gilded brass) and blued steel flat hairspring, blued steel index regulator.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 2* |
Very good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Brand Breguet, Paris
Model apocryphal signature (not Abraham-Louis Breguet)
Year circa 1820
Movement No. 10 111
Case No. 10 111
Material 18K yellow gold
Diameter 41.2 mm.
Caliber 15’’’ ¼, “souscription”-calibre, cylinder escapement
Weight 41.3 gr. (approx.)
Signature cuvette (dome)
Notes
Breguet’s“Souscription”
Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) conceived of the idea for the “souscription” watch in 1794. It was one of the many “inventions” resulting from his period of forced exile in Switzerland during the French Revolution. The concept was both simple and brilliant: to offer his clients a watch that was ordered in advance and delivered upon completion.
In silver, with the gold rims being the only decoration, the “souscription” watches were of a large diameter allowing the enamel dial to be divided in such a way that both hours and minutes could be read from a single hand. The movements had a single plate, the spring barrel mounted in the centre and the wheels elegantly positioned and retained by bridges. The single hand was driven directly off the barrel arbour, eliminating the motion work and the intendant friction, and the ruby cylinder escapement was fitted with a parachute (shock protector) and a compensation curb to assist in correcting temperature errors; features that were the norm for all of Breguet’s first class watches.
To further reduce the selling price, Breguet decided to produce these watches in small series (between 12 and 20 examples at a time), with the buyers paying an account of 25% in advance and the balance on completion. Hence the term “de souscription” (by subscription).
The success of these watches enabled Breguet to both re-establish his business, which had understandably been badly affected by the French Revolution and his exile, and to finance much of his research into other areas of horology.
Breguet will then produce some gold “souscriptions” and others “à tact”.
The success of these timepieces encouraged other watchmakers – whether pupils of the master or not – to produce them. While these were duly signed by these watchmakers (such as Charles Oudin), others produced them by forging Breguet’s signature. These watches were often produced in Switzerland (Geneva or the Neuchâtel mountains), whereas the example produced here appears to have been made in France; the case being stamped with the gold title mark in force in France between August 16, 1819, and May 9, 1838.
For a note on the history and development of Breguet’s “Souscription” watches see the catalogues:
· Antiquorum, Geneva, auction, April 14, 1991, The Art of Breguet.
· Antiquorum, Geneva, auction, October 18, 1997, lots 13-15, 17-20, 37, 116, 124.
· Antiquorum, Geneva, auction, October 14-15, 2006, pp. 32-33.
CONDITIONS AND INFORMATION FOR BUYERS.
The purchase price payable by a buyer will be the sum of the final bid price plus the buyer’s premium, together with any applicable sales or compensating use tax. In addition to the hammer price, the buyer’s premium is payable as follows: 26% of the hammer price on each lot.
Please look carefully at all the photos as they are an integral part of the description. Any defect not mentioned in the descriptions but visible on the photos will be considered as described and cannot lead to any claim. The dimensions are given as an indication and may slightly differ from the measures mentioned by the manufacturers especially for contemporary watches. The photos are not retouched. Colors may differ from reality. For timepieces, we guarantee neither the functioning nor the precision of the movement, nor the water-resistance of the case. In addition, please note that movements, parts of mechanisms or cases may be incomplete.
The lots are sold “as is”, described to the best of our knowledge and cannot be returned. Once the online bid is placed by the bidder, it cannot be cancelled.