Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 15, 1994

LOT 373

Breguet No. 421, sold to the King of Spain (Joseph Bonaparte) for 6000 Francs. Extremely fine and important mahogany "Pendule Marine" with the constant force escapement No.3, in original mahogany fitted travelling box.

CHF 0 - 0

C. Mahogany "à colonnes carrées" made by Duchosal, with egg-and-dart gilt bronze mouldings surrounding the four glazed panels, oval observation window at the top with folding handle and cradle to hold the "sympathique" watch, oval gold polished inlaid cartouche, engraved: "30'0 Echappement Libre à Force Constante par Breguet" on the base, four gilt bronze feet and winding lever. Mahogany travelling box with inlaid brass corners and borders, folding handle at the top. D. Silver engine-turned with Roman numerals on a polished chapter and subsidiary seconds. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. GiIt brass with twin going barrels concealed in the base, two thermometers, vertical cylindrical column secured on the base supporting the large triangular horizontal platform with constant force escapement above the three-arm compensated Arnold type balance set between two gold helical balance springs. Mahogany framed calendar with inlaid brass borders and silver chapter ring, set in place of the original sympathique watch and driven twice a day by the sympathique mechanism of the clock. Signed on a circular silver plate at the top of the column and numbered on the top of the thermometers sectors. In perfect condition. Dim. 30 x 15 x 12 cm. Estimate: SFr.


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Notes

Philosopher stone of the watchmakers, the constant force escapement is, with the tourbillon regulator, the major invention of Breguet. Extremely difficult to manufacture ( only the best watchmakers were able to produce them) the constant force escapement were also extremely expensive and were mainly devoted by Breguet to high precision time-keepers. They are exceedingly rare and are the pride of "happy few" collectors and museums. The constant force escapement of this clock, is the third ever made by Breguet, according to the workshop book, it was completed on the 1 st. of Floréal, year 4 (April 20th, 1796), two years before the patent taken by Breguet on 19 Ventôse year VI (March 9th, 1798). From the first series of 18 "Pendules Marines" with sympathiques watches, 3 only were completed and sold: No. 421 to the King of Spain, No. 423, with sympathetique watch No. 533, to the Emperor of Russia and No. 430 to the Prince A. Demidoff, with watch No. 2787. The clock No. 421, now offered for sale was produced between the 15 Fructidor year 3 ( September 1 st 1795) and the 15 Brumaire year 8 (6 October 1799), was not completed until October 20th, 1808, presumably at the request of Joseph Bonaparte then King of Spain who bought it. In the records of Breguet, a sympathique watch is mentioned in the workshop register for an amount of 1200 Francs, but does not appears in the sale register. In fact, according to the number of clocks from this series which were never finished, it seems that Breguet had much trouble with them. Probably for the same reason, the sympathique watch, accompanying this clock, could have been replaced by the actual automatic calendar. On some other clocks, for instance the "Pendule Marine" with the constance force escapement No. 1, the cradle and all the sympathique mechanism have even been completely removed. A very similar one, No. 666, in a case "à colonnes rondes", was sold slightly later, in August 1814, with watch No. 507, to the "Prince Régent" of England and is now considered as one of the most important clocks in the collection of the Queen of England.