Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 31, 1998

LOT 323

Breguet No. 728, sold to Mr. Falzety on 18 Ventôse An 9 (9 March 1801), for 1200 Francs.

CHF 80,000 - 90,000

Sold: CHF 84,000

Fine and very rare silver and gold montre à tact with auxiliary five-minute dial,concentric Revolutionary and Gregorian calendar rings with equation of time calculated to coincide with the Revolutionary calendar. C.Two body," forme collier " ,silver engine-turned,with gold rims,pendant and bow.The cover with a monogram "K.A."engraved on a small gold escutcheon applied below the small glazed eccentric dial aperture,gold border rim with touch pieces. Applied gold à tact arrow on the back,extended by a sector-shaped glazed aperture revealing the months, the equation of time and the additional dial sub- divided for five minutes.Gilt brass cuvette with circular eccentric aperture revealing the dial. D.Silver engine-turned with Roman numerals on a polished chapter ring,secured by a screw on the barrel bridge.Blued steel Breguet hands.M.25 - ,gilt brass,souscription calibre with centre barrel, overhanging ruby cylinder escapement,plain brass three-arm balance with bimetallic compensation curb on the regulator.Blued steel flat balance spring. Signed on the gilt brass cuvette and the movement. Diam.62 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 4-5-01

Fair

Poor

HANDS Original

Notes

The presence of the small auxiliary dial subdivided to indicate five-minute periods,confirms that this watch originally had only a single hand in common with all the Souscription watches.The present dial,divided for two hands,was fitted during the complete overhaul carried out by Breguet. The presence of a glazed window in the à tact cover is extremely rare.Turning the cover in a clockwise direction (it must be revolved in the opposite direction to find the time with the arrow) enables the required month to appear in the window,and a comparison to be made between the normal month and the Republican calendar,along with the equation of time for the first day of cadi Décade. Only two other examples of such a watch are known,one is currently in the collection of the Beyer Museum in Zürich,the other,No.729,was sold by Antiquorum on 14 April 1991,lot No. 27 of the catalogue The Art of Breguet. According to the records,the case of this watch was originally made of gold.When it appears for the first time in the repair books in 1870,it is described as a montre à tact in a silver case with gold rims.It was overhauled by Breguet for the last time in 1876 for Baronne de Graffenriet.It is unfortunately impossible to find in the Breguet records when the actual case was macle.As a matter of fact,the case of the similar watch,No.729,was also made at a later date.