The Sandberg Watch Collection

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 184

Breguet et Fils, No. 2926, 'montre perpetuelle', sold to Ouvrard for 4500 francs on November 27, 1816.Very important and rare, 18 ct. gold, pedometer-wound, dumb quarter repeating watch, with 60-hour power reserve.

CHF 150,000 - 200,000

USD 90,000 - 120,000

Sold: CHF 157,500

C. Two-body, collar form, bezel and back cover decorated with engine-turning 'à grains d'orge', the latter centred by a small monogram 'E.C'. D. Silver, with radial Roman chapters, outer minute dot divisions, sunk subsidiary seconds, power reserve sector for 60 hours at 10 o'clock. Gilt brass ring 'à bate levée'. Blued-steel Breguet hands.M. 49 mm o, gilt brass three-quarter plate, 10 jewels, tandem going barrels, wolf-tooth winding gears, five-wheel train, jewelled straight line lever escapement, short fork with banking over the escape wheel arbor with a U-shaped end, two-arm cut bimetallic compensation balance with of two symmetrically mounted sliding brass weights with screws, plus four mean adjustment screws, Breguet balance spring. The brass escape wheel with teeth in the shape of upright pins, so the lift is mostly on the lver pallets. Pare-chute shock protection on both pivots, ogival platinum oscillating weight swinging between two spring-loaded rollers mounted to the case, stop mechanism when the watch is fully wound. Breguet-type dumb repeating mechanism with pull-and-twist piston in the pendant.Signed 'Breguet' with the serial number on the dial ring, and 'Breguet et Fils' on the dial.Diam. 51 mm. Published in the Sandberg book, pages 172-173.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3 - 14
Movement: 3 - 6*
Dial: 3 - 6 - 03

Notes

Breguet himself never claimed to be the inventor of the perpetuelle ( the name he gave to his self-winding watches), the earliest being produced in Switzerland by Abraham Louis Perrelet in approximately 1770. These first examples were unsuccessful due to the inadequacy of the winding system, which virtually required the wearer to proceed at a run in order to keep the movement sufficiently wound. Breguet's design was revolutionary by comparison, and incorporated several new 'inventions' that werefar ahead of their time: two barrels to enable lighter mainsprings to be used, a carefully balanced 'weight' reacting to the slightest movement, and an additional train wheel to provide a going-period of up to 60 hours.The result was a watch that could be used by somebody leading a relatively inactive life, needing only a short time to recharge itself sufficiently to continue working, and could be left unattended for more than two days. The majority of his perpetuelle watches, even from the first series, were constructed on the principle of the garde-temps, with the main pivots jewelled, a detached escapement, and the balance with temperature compensation and elastic suspension (shock protection) on both pivot. Furthermore, they were fitted with a quarter, or even minute repeating mechanism, a state of winding indicator, and in some cases a phase of the moon dial. Most of these innovations were unknown in France at the time, and until the invention of the wristwatch were considered the ultimate refinements able to be incorporated in an automatic watch. It is therefore little wonder that the introduction of such a watch brought much fame to its creator, with the majority being purchased by the most noable people of the day.Upon his return from Switzerland in 1795, Breguet introduced his overhanging ruby cylinder escapement, which allowed him to produce at a reasonable cost, watches of supreme slimness and elegance and in larger numbers; a considerable help to the re-establishment of his business. By contrast, the perpetuelle was more expensive to make, taking up to two years to complete, and after finishing the initial series, he made no more until approximately 1815. (Refer to the glossary for further details).Breguet et FilsFor a biography, see page 229