Exceptional Horological Sale Celebrat...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 24, 2004

LOT 49

The Whaley Breguet, No. 4009, sold on 6 January 1925 to Monsieur Whaley for 3000 francs. Exceptionally fine and extremely rare, one of only two mentioned in the registers, thin 18K gold and silver watch with concentric double center-seconds and stop feature, constructed along the principles of the "Garde-Temps", in a Breguet Morocco fitted box. Accompanied by certificate No. 2726, delivered in 1927.

CHF 200,000 - 300,000

EUR 126,000 - 189,000 / USD 156,000 - 234,000

Sold: CHF 311,500

C. Four-body, "quatre baguettes", made by master casemaker Joly, No.130, Barley corn engine-turning, silver engine-turned band, gold hinged cuvette signed "Breguet, Horologer de la Marine Royal, No .4009".D. Silver, by Joly, eccentric radial Roman chapter ring, Gold Breguet hands, gold and blued steel center seconds hands with seconds track on the outermost of the dial.M. 53 mm (23???), 5 1/2 ??? thick, gilt brass, bar caliber, 20 jewels, straight line calibrated lever escapement with long lever, brass escape wheel, cut bimetallic steel/silver alloy compensation balance with gold and platinum temperature and mean-time screws, elastic suspension on both pivots, blued steel Breguet balance spring with adjustable stud position for fine concentric adjustment, clutch-operated "deuxième aiguille des seconds" stop work on the back plate, bolt in the band to stop the balance at will, pushers either side of the pendant to operate the start-stop functions of the coaxial seconds hands, each having a locking bolt.Signed on dial and cuvette,Diam 58 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3 - 14
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

From an European Collector The Breguet registers list only two "double aiguille de secondes" watches, this one and No. 4000; Breguet used this term to describe them. These two, made at the same time, are the earliest watches ever made with "splitting-seconds" hands, making them highly important in the history of horology, as the predecessors of the modern split-seconds chronograph. Breguet began the production of the watch on May 25, 1822 and it was finished on November 25, 1823, two months after his death. The next attempt to make split-seconds chronographs was due to one of Breguet?s pupils, Joseph Thad-deus Winnerl, who in 1843 presented to the French Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and Sciences a split-seconds recorder of his invention. Amongst the scientific watches produced by Breguet, this watch must certainly count as one of the most elegant. The large clear dial is both functional and attractive, the two-tone case is perfectly proportioned and the highly jeweled movement is remarkably thin for the complications it contains. The finish is superb, the escapement made with utmost attention paid to isochronism, the poising and temperature compensation with fine terminal curve on the balance spring, gold and platinum screws on the balance for the temperature compensation, highly polished, very small safety roller for diminishing the friction in the out of locking position during jerky movements. This watch also has the added feature of a balance arrest; the system utilizes a hook mounted on a feather spring that locks on a vertical pin on the balance and is armed by the tension of the balance spring. This allows the watch to record two consecutive intervals of time. These combined qualities make this watch an exceptional piece. According to the registers, this watch was bought back from Mr. Whaley on the 25th of February, 1825, for 2240 francs and was resold to the Chevalier de l?Espine on December 31, 1831 for 3100 francs. The watch was then returned to be overhauled at his request on the September 20, 1934, March 25, 1843 and October 9, 1855. The watch is very well-known in the history of horology; George Daniels illustrates it in his "The Art of Breguet" on p. 264 and writes about it on p. 73. The present watch was part of the Antiquorum sale "The Art of Breguet" on April 14, 1991, lot 76.