Important Collectors’ Watches, Pocket...

Geneva, Oct 14, 2007

LOT 159

?Yellow Gold Souscription Set No. 25? Breguet, ?Souscription No. 25?. Made in 1992. Extremely fine, rare and important set of two Souscription watches: an 18K yellow gold minuterepeating wristwatch with perpetual calendar, phases and age of the moon and an 18K gold Breguet deployant clasp, and an 18K yellow gold, self-winding ?perpetuelle? pocket watch with power reserve, instantaneous calendar, phases and age of the moon. Accompanied by the original special fitted box and accessories.

CHF 210,000 - 250,000

EUR 130,000 - 150,000 / USD 175,000 - 210,000

The Wristwatch

C. Three-body, massive, reeded band, straight lugs, transparent back, sapphire crystal. D. Two-tone, guilloché silvered gold, signed "Breguet, No. 27", radial Roman numerals on a plain reserve; small subsidiary rings for days of the week, months with concentric leap year indicator, the date and aperture for the moon phases, the age engraved on the border, secret signature on either side of "VI". Blued-steel ?Breguet? hands. M. Cal. 567, rhodiumed maillechort, "fausses côtes" decoration, 30 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, mono-metallic balance adjusted to 5 positions, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, swanneck micrometer regulator, repeating on two gongs with two hammers via a slide in the band. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 37 mm. Thickness 12 mm.

The Pocket Watch

C. Three-body, massive, ?Empire?, polished stepped bezels, reeded band, transparent back to view the movement, sapphire crystals. D. Two-tone, guilloché silvered gold, signed: "Breguet, No. 25", with radial Roman rumerals on a plain reserve, outer minute chapter with dot divisions, subsidiary seconds, sector for power reserve calibrated for 45 hours, apertures for the instantaneous date, and moon phases with the age engraved on the border, secret signature on either side of "XII". Blued steel ?Breguet? hands. M. Gilt brass, 22''', caliber 90, with automatic winding, 28 jewels, straight-line lever escapement with monometallic balance, with pare-chute on the top pivot, Breguet self-compensating balance spring. Platinium winding weight pivoted on the edge of the movement with spring banking, unidirectional winding automatically disconnected when fully wound, and two ball-bearing runners, one visible in the weight, to reduce friction in the pivot point, the arm of "S" form to provide elastic suspension and retained in balance by a double-ended spring. Dial and movement signed. Diam. 62 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good

Movement: 2

Very good

Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

The first Souscription set was specially made for the theme auction ?The Art of Breguet?, Antiquorum, Geneva, Sunday, April 14, 1991, lot 203. Contained in a polished burr walnut veneered casket lined in paisley pattern fabric, with lockable drawer below containing a gilt magnifying glass, a calendar setting pin, a gold Breguet watch chain, and a polishing stick. Abraham-Louis Breguet conceived the idea for the Souscription in 1794, another of the "inventions" resulting from his period of forced exile in Switzerland during the French Revolution. The concept was brilliant and simple to offer a watch to his clients that could be reserved in advance and delivered upon completion.