57,500 CHF
Breguet et Fils, No. 1580, sold to Lord Landerdal on February 24, 1807, for 2,200 Francs. Very fine 20K gold jump-hour quarter-repeating à toc watch accompanied by a Breguet morocco fitted box. “Empire”, by Joly, No. 1198, barleycorn engine-turned back, band reeded in unusual double pattern, gold hinged cuvette with winding aperture. Gold, champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer minute dot divisions, engine-turned center and outer border, subsidiary sunk seconds between 4 and 5 o’clock, secured by a screw. Blued steel Breguet hands. 51 mm (22 1/2’’’), gilt brass, bar caliber, hanging barrel with Breguet continuous stop-work, Breguet ruby cylinder escapement, plain three-arm gilt balance, flat balance spring, train jeweled to the center wheel, compensation curb, pare-chute elastic suspension on the top pivot, repeating on a gold block fixed to the case by a single hammer via pull-and-twist piston in the pendant. Signed on the dial and cuvette, movement punched with the serial number under the dial. Diam. 55 mm. Notes This is an excellent example of a first-quality Breguet, with its gold cuvette and dial, jumping-hour hand, Breguet-type repeating works and entirely jeweled train. The watch is described and illustrated in “The Art of Breguet” by George Daniels, fig No. 180. Provenance: Bloomfield Collection, San Diego.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2002-04-13
