80,500 CHF
Breguet et Fils, No. 1320, shipped to LeRoy, Constantinople for Monsieur Esseyd Ali Effendi, Sultan Beykan on 13 fructidor an 12 (August 31, 1804), for 1,872 francs.Very fine and rare, early 20K gold and enamel pair-cased dumb quarter repeating watch, made for the Islamic market. Accompanied by the Breguet certificate No. 3230 dated June 29, 1907. By Tavernier. Outer: two-body, the back in red translucent champlevé enamel over "sunburst" engine-turning, with gold paillon work around the border, gold paillon rosette in the center, bezels in opaque azure enamel alternating with gold and pink enamel shell pattern. Inner: four-body, polished with reeded band, gold hinged cuvette with winding aperture. Notes The watch was chosen by the House of Breguet to represent their achievements in a flyer published in 1990. It is also described in "A.L. Breguet, Watchmaker to the Kings", Thomas Engel, 1994, p. 106. Esseid Ali Effendi (d. 1809)Born in Morée, he began his career in Istanbul in the Chancellery of the Sublime Porte.In response to the arrival of Marshal Sebastiani as French Ambassador in Istanbul, the Sultan of Turkey sent Ali Effendi to Paris in a similar capacity in 1796. After a stay of three years, he returned to Turkey and was put in charge of the Naval Shipyards, eventually becoming Minister of the Navy, and making a substantial contribution towards the reform of the armed forces. Ali Effendi held several positions of importance during the reigns of both Selim IV
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2001-11-11
