Exceptional Horological Sale Celebrat...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 24, 2004

LOT 46

The Mareilhac Breguet et Fils, No. 3262, sold to B. Mareilhac from Bordeaux on May 23, 1822 for 2000 francs. Very fine and extremely rare 20K gold, half quarter-repeating watch with jump-hour hand and ruby duplex escapement, accompanied by a gold and steel key and a certificate.

CHF 30,000 - 40,000

EUR 19,000 - 25,000 / USD 23,500 - 31,000

Sold: CHF 34,500

C. Four-body, "forme quatre baguettes", made by master casemaker Tavernier, No. 3737, engine-turned, gold hinged cuvette.D. Silver, made by Tavernier, secret signature on each side of numeral "XII", champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer minute dot divisions, subsidiary sunk seconds at 4 o?clock, engine-turned center. Blued steel Breguet hands.M. 52 mm (23???), gilt brass, bridge caliber with hanging barrel, jeweled to the center, ruby duplex escapement with ruby insert on the staff for the rest surface and steel impulse pin, 3-arm brass balance with blued steel flat balance spring, pare-chute on top pivot, compensation curb, Breguet repeating system with all-or-nothing, single hammer striking through intermediary block, short rectangular gong, activated by pull-and-twist piston in the pendant.Signed on dial and case.Diam. 57 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2 - 14
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2 - 6 - 01

Notes

The Breguet records list only 33 watches with duplex escapement; these watches were often called "demi-chronometers". This watch is highly jeweled, with gold cuvette, jump hour hand and repetition of Breguet?s design, an improvement on that of Stogden. Its quality is similar to that of watches built along the principles of the "Garde Temps". The present watch is in exceptional condition, the secret signatures on the dial are still intact, and the case shows only slight wear. Of very high quality, with an escapement which is extremely unusual for Breguet, it bears testimony to