Provenance: Formerly in the Ferguson Collection and subsequently the property of Cecil Clutton, the eminent English collector and author. Sold by Malcolm Gardner in July 1959 to the late Lord I-Iarris of Belmont Park. Literature: Described and illustrated in Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 2, No. 6, March 1958 (photocopy supplied). Note: Watches by Breguet fitted with an alarm train are extremely rare, and in this case, with the addition of quarter repeating and the use of the Robin escapement, it would appear to be unique. According to the fabrication and sales books, the ebauche, in working condition, was purchased from Lallemand for 1130 Francs on 19 April 1817. It then remained in Breguet's workshop until 1819, being converted and finished to his standards, with the cost price rising to 1939 Hanes. For an unexplained reason, it remained in the stock of Maison Breguet for more than 15 years, and was eventually sold for 400 Francs on January 1836. Formerly a pupil of Robin, Lallemand later worked for Louis Berthoud, and after the death of the latter, joined the workshop of Breguet, where he was certainly one of his best workmen. No other example of this type of watch is currently known to exist. Lallemand eventually sold to Breguet another watch which was entirely from his own product: Breguet No. 956, a fine halfquarter repeating watch with Robin escapement (sold by Antiquorum in Geneva in October 1992, lot 328). I-Ie also sold a similar watch to F.L. Godon, Reloxero de Camara de S.M.C. (Sa Majeste Catholique, the King of Spain), No. 506, circa 1805, which was subsequently sold to Emmanuel Godo, Prince de la Paix, Prime Minister of Spain (sold by Antiquorum in Geneva in October 1996, lot 339).