THE ART OF BREGUET

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Apr 14, 1991

LOT 2

A Monsieur Betancourt. Watch No. 88, constructed between an 4 and an 5 (1796-1797), at a cost of 1378 Francs, sold in an 6 (1798) for an unspecified sum. Silver watch with jump hours, "grande sonnerie" striking and quarter-repeating.

CHF 12,000 - 15,000

Sold: CHF 25,300

Case: Four body, bassine a filets unique form, by Joly, No. 833. Silver cuvette, signed: "Breguet, No. 88".
Dial: White enamel, with Breguet numerals and slightly off-set subsidiary seconds, (disc possibly replaced), secret signature below "12". Blued-steel Breguet hands with open points. Gilt metal dial plate, signed: "Breguet, No. 88".
Movement: Gilt brass, 22"', full plate caliber, with turned pillars, two trains, cylinder escapement with three-arm plain brass balance. Blued-steel flat balance spring. Unpierced four wheel grande sonnerie striking train, striking on two gongs with three position milled gold button on the pendant, rotated clockwise to release the repeating, and anticlockwise to silence the striking. The middle position engages the strike train.
In good condition. Diam. 59 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image

Notes

History: The records confirm that this watch was initially delivered in a gold case. However, the repair books remark that in February 1838, when it was returned for overhaul, at the request of Monsieur Mariano de la Pedrueza, it was fitted with a silver case by Breguet. According to the hallmarks the case was made after 1 April 1822.

Note: Breguet employed a button mounted on the pendant to operate several different forms of striking work on his earliest watches, and it is most likely the precursor for his invention of the pulltwist piston, later used for all the repeating