Dial and cuvette, signed, case and cuvette numbered. DIAM. 53 mm. THICKNESS 15 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.