Literature: Illustrate and described by George Daniels in The Art of Breguet, p. 128, fig. 124 a-c. Esseid All Effendi (? - 1809) Born in Moree, 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 All Effendi to Paris in a similar capacity in 1796. After a stay of three years, he return to Turkey and was put in charge of the Naval Shipyards, eventually becoming Minister for 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 and Mustafa IV, particularly during the negotiations of the Treaty with Napoleon. However, his arrogant nature eventually led to his being ordered away from Istanbul, and he was assassinated in 1809. During his stay in Paris, he became a very good friend of Talleyrand who introduced him to Breguet. Together with his interpreter Malotaky, he soon became one of his best clients from 1798, buying a minute grande sonnerie clock-watch in 1799 and a long-case regulator in 1801. Back to Turkey in 1802, he wrote several letters to his friend Breguet and ordered 10 repeating watches between 1804 and 1808, several less expensive watches and pocket thermometers. He was the first, with his friend Stephanaki, an important watch dealer in Istanbul, to show Breguet all the potential that the Islamic Market could offer if special watches were to be produced for it: they had to be pair cased, made of gold and enamel and to be fitted with white enamel Turkish dials. As Minister of the Turkish Marine in 1804 he ordered for the Emperor Selim II, a repeating watch as good as possible. Information drawn from: Breguet - Watchmaker since 1775, by Emanuel Breguet, Gourcuff Edition, Paris 1997.