423,400 CHF
“A Monsieur de St. Cricq” Breguet, No. 11, begun in the late 1780s and completed circa 1805, sold to Monsieur de St. Cricq on October 5, 1807. Extremely fine, highly important and early, 18K gold “montre garde-temps” pocket chronometer with Arnold type detent chronometer escapement and power reserve indication. Probably the earliest of Breguet’s watches to be fitted with a detent chronometer escapement. Three-body, “early form garde-temps” No. 379, by Tavernier (indistinct master mark), polished, concealed hinge. White enamel by Morimont, with Breguet numerals, outer minute track and Arabic 10-minute numerals, subsidiary seconds at 12, power reserve between 6 and 7 o’clock. Blued steel “Breguet” hands. 51 mm. (23’’’), gilt, small demi-lune back plate, fusee with chain, gold train, jeweled Arnold type escapement with fifteen-toothed escape wheel, spring detent with jeweled impulse roller and locking stone, cut three-arm bimetallic compensation balance with peripheral timing and temperature adjustment screws and parachute on the top pivot, helical balance spring. Dial, case and movement signed and numbered. Diam. 58 mm. Notes Breguet started the manufacture of the garde-temps watches early in his career but they were not completed (fitted with the bimetallic balance, parachute and helical balance spring) until about 1805. The present watch, No. 11, is the only known example of a garde-temps watch signed “à paris” in the archaic style of before 1787 and the only example to
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2006-10-15
