Breguet à Paris, No. 134, sent to London by Mr. Gaultier in October 1791, sold to Mr. Gray in April 1792 for 18 livres. Extremely rare and fine, 18 ct. gold and enamel montre plate à la Lepine, with a matching gold and enamel key. | Important Wristwatches, Watches & Clocks | Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, 17th October 1992

Important Wristwatches, Watches & Clocks

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 17, 1992

LOT 326

Breguet à Paris, No. 134, sent to London by Mr. Gaultier in October 1791, sold to Mr. Gray in April 1792 for 18 livres. Extremely rare and fine, 18 ct. gold and enamel montre plate à la Lepine, with a matching gold and enamel key.

CHF 25,000 - 35,000

Sold: CHF 28,750

C. Double body by Amy Gros (master mark), the bezels with paillonne decoration, simulating split pearls (two " pearls" slight default), the back of blue translucent enamel over engine-turning centered with a delicate rosette of similar technique. D. White enamel by Morimont, with Breguet numerals and star minute divisions (minute flow in enamel below "6". .Blued steel Breguet hands. M. GiIt brass with hinged bezel, typical Lepine caliber with free standing barrel, virgule escapement, plain gilt brass three armed balance, flat balance spring. Signed on the cuvette, also engraved with instructions for winding and setting the hands. In very good condition. Diam. 54 mm.

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Notes

This watch is among the very first made by Breguet employing a bridge caliber and is virtually identical to the examples developed by Jean Antoine Lepine. The dial, by an early dial maker who also worked for Berthoud, is already with the Breguet numerals and the star divisions for minutes can be found on most of the Breguet watches of the period. Early enamelled watches by Breguet are exceedingly rare, the only other one known , very similar, is illustrated in color by George Daniels in The Art of Breguet, and described page 150, fig. 90 a-b. Although the records of Breguet usually lista number for the case, the fact that the gold had to be hallmarked before final fashioning meant that, in the case f an enamel decoration, this number could not be subsequently applied.