Important Collector's, Watches, Wrist...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 15, 2000

LOT 418

Breguet No. 617, sold to Recordon, London, An 8 (23 Sept. 1799 - 22 Sept. 1800).Fine 18K rose gold, enamel and diamond-set médaillon montre à tact, with Breguet ratchet key.

CHF 45,000 - 50,000

USD 25,000 - 28,000

C. Three-body 'forme collier' by Tavernier, both covers with translucent dark blue enamel over a sunburst effect engine-turning (eccentric ellipse pattern) with finely reeded edges. Revolving back cover with arrow tact hand set with rose-cut diamonds. The polished band set with 12 rose diamond touch pieces. Elongated diamond-set pendant with loose bow. Gold cuvette engraved Breguet N. 617 & Recordon, LONDON with apertures for the dial and the regulator. D. Small eccentric silvered with Arabic nuerals mounted on the barrel bridge. Blued-steel Breguet hands. M. 15??? fire-gilded 'souscription' caliber with center barrel wound only from the front, five-wheel, 45-hour going train controlled by ruby cylinder escapement with monometallic three-arm jeweled balance with flat blued-steel, six-coil balance spring beating 18514 and 2/7 times per hour.Diam. 41.5 mm. 38.75 mm. without diamonds.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3 - 21
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 21 - 01

Notes

Breguet classified his souscription watches as 'petite', 'moyenne' and 'grande'. Out of about 915 souscription type watches that Breguet made, only about 35 'petites' are known to exist. They were the most expensive, averaging about SFr. 1700. Breguet introduced them in the spring of 1799 with the first one sold to Madame Bettancourt, the wife of his most trusted friend. The watch from this lot is one of the earliest 'médaillon montre à tact'. An almost identical watch is described and illustratd by George Daniels in 'The Art of Breguet', p.182.Louis Recordon, a watchmaker from Geneva, who settled in London, was Breguet?s friend and an agent in England, responsible for selling about 75 Breguet watches to the British including some to the British monarchy.