50,400 CHF
A Monsieur Demidof Breguet, No. 3027, sold to Monsieur Demidof, on June 8, 1817, for 790 Francs. Very fine and rare, large, 18K rose gold “montre de souscription” pocket watch with ruby cylinder escapement. Accompanied by a Breguet certificate and fitted red morocco box. Three-body, “forme collier”, No. 2109 by Joly (master mark), polished, the back cover with an applied gold foliate monogram beneath a ducal coronet, loose ring pendant. White enamel by Lucard, Breguet numerals, outer divisions for the five minutes, quarter and half-hours, secret signature below 12. Blued steel “souscription” hand. Gilt brass, 25’’’, souscription caliber with central barrel wound from the front or back, overhanging ruby cylinder escapement, three-arm gilt balance with amplitude limiting pin on the upper rim, pare-chute on the top pivot, flat balance spring, bimetallic temperature compensation curb on the index regulator. Dial and movement signed, case with Joly punch mark. Diam. 62 mm. Notes For an article on the history and development of Breguet’s “Souscription” watches see: Antiquorum, Geneva, October 14 & 15, 2006, pp. 32 and 33. Count Nicholas Demidoff (1724-1786) a member of an influential Russian family, he was a diplomat and admirer of Napoleon I. He lived for a time in Paris, but the growing tensions between France and Russia led to his return to Moscow in 1812. Count Demidoff was a well-known art collector; pieces from his collections can be found today in the Wallace Collecti
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2008-11-16
