92,000 CHF
"To Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland" Breguet, No. 1717, sold to the King of Holland on June 7, 1808 for 2,400 francs. Extremely fine and important 18K gold dumb quarter repeating pocket watch with duplex escapement built on the principles of the garde temps with Breguet gold chain and ratchet key. Accompanied by the Breguet certificate. Four-body, "Empire" No. 2594 by Tavernier, polished. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel No. 261 by Borel,Breguet numerals, outer minute track, secret signature below 12. Blued steel Breguet hands. 51 mm., frostedgilt, standing barrel, jewelled train, double-wheel duplex escapement, cut three-arm bimetallic compensationbalance with gold and platinum temperature and meantime adjustment screws, flat blued steel balance spring,double parachute suspension, all or nothing repeat with spring remontoir activated by depressing a pull and twistpiston in the pendant.Dial, and cuvette signed.Diam. 55 mm. Notes Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1778-1846), King of Holland (1806–10) W W as one of three younger brothers of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France. In his youth he had become close to his older brother, who took him under his wing while at the Royal Artillery school at Auxonne, and had him made Lieutenant of the 4th Artillery Regiment when he was only 16. When Napoleon took command of the French Army in Italy, Louis Napoleon became his brother’s “aide de camp”. Made Captain at the age of 18, he took part in the Egyptian campaign. Bonaparte arra
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-05-15
