Exceptional horologic works of art

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Oct 11, 2003

LOT 457

Breguet No. 617, sold to Recordon, London, An 8 (23 Sept. 1799 - 22 Sept. 1800. Fine 18K rose gold, enamel and diamond-set médaillon montre à tact, with Breguet ratchet key.

CHF 40,000 - 50,000

EUR 26,000 - 33,000

Sold: CHF 43,700

C. three-body 'forme collier' by Tavernier, both covers with translucent dark blue enamel over a sunburst effect engine-turning (eccentric ellipse pattern with finely reeded bezel edges, revolving back cover with arrow à tact hand set with rose-cut diamonds, polished band set with 12 rose cut diamond touch pieces, elongated diamond-set pendant with loose bow, detachable gold cuvette engraved ?Breguet N. 617 & Recordon, LONDON? with apertures for the dial and the regulator. D. small eccentric silvered with Arabic numerals mounted on the barrel bridge. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. 33.8 mm (15''' gilt brass 'souscription' caliber with center barrel wound only from the front, five-wheel 45-hour going train, ruby cylinder escapement with three-arm brass jeweled balance with flat blued-steel, six-coil balance spring beating 18514 and 2/7 times per hour.Diam. 41.5 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3 - 21
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 6 - 21 - 01

Notes

Breguet classified his souscription watches as ?petite?, ?moyenne? and ?grande?. Of about 915 ?souscription? type watches that Breguet made, only about 35 ?petites? are known to exist. They were the most expensive, averaging about SF1700. Breguet introduced them in the spring of 1799, the first one being sold to Madame Betancourt, the wife of his most trusted friend. The watch from this lot is one of the earliest ?médaillon montre à tact?. An almost identical watch is described and illustrated by George Daniels in ?The Art of Breguet?, p.182.82.Louis Recordon, a watchmaker from Geneva who had settled in London, was Breguet's friend and agent in England.He sold approximately 75 of Breguet's watches to the British including some to the British Monarchy.