Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, Nov 10, 2013

LOT 560

BREGUET NO. 3349 - QUARTER REPEATING WATCH - SOLD TO LORD DARTMOUTH Breguet et Fils, No. 3349, 'Repètition' sold to Lord Dartmouth (William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth), Hotel Mirabeau, Rue de la Paix, on January 29th, 1819 for 1400 Francs. Very fine and rare, quarter-repeating, 18K gold pocket watch with 'English-type' ruby cylinder escapement, gold Breguet short chain and ratchet key. Accompanied by a numbered Breguet fitted box and Certificate.

CHF 15,000 - 25,000

HKD 125,000 - 205,000 / USD 16,000 - 26,500

Sold: CHF 18,750

Four-body, 'forme collier', polished bezel, engine-turned flat band, the back engine-turned 'grains d'orge'. Hinged gilded cuvette. Silver, engine-turned with radial Roman numerals on a brushed chapter ring, outer dot minute divisions. Blued steel Breguet hands. 44 mm., matte gilt, standing barrel, English-type ruby cylinder escapement, the escape wheel and balance wheel with jeweled pivots, three-arm balance with pare-chute suspension on the upper pivot, blued steel flat balance spring, blued steel index regulator with bimetallic compensation curb, repeating on two gongs with two polished steel hammers activated by a pull-and-twist piston in the pendant.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

Dial and cuvette, signed, case and cuvette numbered. DIAM. 49.5 mm. BREGUET AND THE CYLINDER ESCAPEMENT Breguet used the cylinder escapement throughout his life. Like the virgule, it is a frictional rest escapement but of a far superior kind. In reality, the cylinder escapement as made by the English makers was not much better than the verge. This was because the diameter of the cylinder was too great in relation to the diameter of the balance, causing a loss of energy through friction. To reduce the friction, the English makers, who were very skilled in the art of jeweling, made the cylinder half-section ruby. The ruby was fitted into a steel frame - it was this form of cylinder escapement first used by Breguet. By about 1795 Breguet had developed the ruby cylinder to the very familiar "overhanging" ruby cylinder; it is therefore rare to find this escapement at such a late date. These escapements performed so well and with such increased consistency of rate that temperature errors previously swamped by general bad performance now needed correction. For this reason, except in his smallest watches, Breguet's ruby cylinder escapements use a compensation curb. WILLIAM LEGGE, 4TH EARL OF DARTMOUTH, FRS, SA, (1784-1853) Styled The Honourable William Legge until 1801 and Viscount Lewisham between 1801 and 1810, Dartmouth was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for Milborne Port at a by-election in January 1810. However, in November of the same year he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat in the House of Lords. He was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society on 7 November 1822. He was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Lord Dartmouth was twice married. He married firstly Lady Frances Charlotte, daughter of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot, in 1820. Lady Frances died already in October 1823, two months after the birth of her son and only child. Lord Dartmouth married secondly the Honourable Frances, daughter of the 5th Viscount Barrington in 1828. They had six sons and nine daughters. The Countess of Dartmouth died in August 1849. Lord Dartmouth remained a widower until his death in November 1853, aged 68.