157,500 CHF
Breguet et Fils, No. 2926, 'montre perpetuelle', sold to Ouvrard for 4500 francs on November 27, 1816.Very important and rare, 18 ct. gold, pedometer-wound, dumb quarter repeating watch, with 60-hour power reserve. Notes Breguet himself never claimed to be the inventor of the perpetuelle ( the name he gave to his self-winding watches), the earliest being produced in Switzerland by Abraham Louis Perrelet in approximately 1770. These first examples were unsuccessful due to the inadequacy of the winding system, which virtually required the wearer to proceed at a run in order to keep the movement sufficiently wound. Breguet's design was revolutionary by comparison, and incorporated several new 'inventions' that werefar ahead of their time: two barrels to enable lighter mainsprings to be used, a carefully balanced 'weight' reacting to the slightest movement, and an additional train wheel to provide a going-period of up to 60 hours.The result was a watch that could be used by somebody leading a relatively inactive life, needing only a short time to recharge itself sufficiently to continue working, and could be left unattended for more than two days. The majority of his perpetuelle watches, even from the first series, were constructed on the principle of the garde-temps, with the main pivots jewelled, a detached escapement, and the balance with temperature compensation and elastic suspension (shock protection) on both pivot. Furthermore, they were fitted with a quarter, Read more…
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2001-03-31
