Important Watches, Collector's Wristw...

The Ritz-carlton Hotel, Jun 06, 2004

LOT 84

Blanc Père & fils A Genève, No. 12265, made for Breguet, circa 1787. Highly important 18K gold and enamel, pearl- and diamond-set watch.

HKD 23,000 - 28,000

EUR 3,000 - 3,600 / USD 2,400 - 3,000

Sold: HKD 33,350

C. two-body, ?Directoire?, spring-loaded, back in translucent imperial blue enamel over ?sunburst? engine-turning, diamond-set rosette in the center, pearl-set bezels, the front one also set with diamonds. D. white enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute dot divisions with fifteen-minute Arabic markers, winding aperture at 1. Diamond-set hands. M. 38 mm (17???), frosted gilt full-plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee and chain, verge escapement brass balance with flat balance spring, continental cock pierced and engraved with the letters ?BLANC?.Signed on dial and movement, cock pierced ?BLANC?, case punched with the French import marks.Diam. 48 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 24 - 01

Notes

The cock of the present watch, pierced with letters ?BLANC?, is often found on watches made by Blanc Pére & fils of Geneva. In the early 1920s, Edouard Gélis found mention in the Breguet archives that in 1787 Breguet bought six movements from the brothers Blanc (see ?Le Centenaire de Breguet?, a publication by Journal Suisse d?Horlogerie et de Bijouterie. Geneva, 1923). The present watch very likely employs one of those six movements. We can therefore connect this watch with the Breguet purchase discovered by Gélis and obtain a rare glimpse into a previously overlooked portion of Breguet?s activities involving watches made by other watchmakers.