Important Collector's Wristwatches, P...

New York, Dec 01, 2004

LOT 119

Breguet, Grand Complication "Tourbillon 1801-2001", No. 943, Ref. 1801. Produced expressly in a special edition in 2001 to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the invention of the tourbillon by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Extremely fine, rare and important, large, half-hunter case-type, water-resistant, 18K white gold gentleman's wristwatch with visible one-minute tourbillon regulator and an 18K white gold Breguet deployant clasp.

C. Four-body, solid, polished and brushed, hinged "guilloché"- decorated cover with porthole and engraved "Tourbillon" plaque, opened by a co-axial push-button in the winding crown, transparent case back to view the movement, reeded band, straight lugs with gold screwed bars, sapphire crystals. D. Silvered gold, "guilloché" off-center dial with painted radial Roman numerals set within a silvered gold plate with "fausses côtes" decoration, engraved "1801 - 2001". Blued steel "Breguet" hands. At 6, the visible tourbillon cage under a polished steel bridge, carrying the blued steel seconds hand. M. Cal. 557, entirely hand-engraved and signed "Tourbillon Breguet Nr. 1978. Brevet du 7 Messidor ans 9", 21 jewels, lateral lever escapement with one-minute tourbillon regulator with 3 equidistant polished steel arms, monometallic balance adjusted to 6 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 42 mm.