O Museu Breguet e o seu Presidente e CEO, Marc A. Hayek, adquiriram recentemente dois relógios de bolso e algumas cartas com elevado valoir histórico, através de três leilões realizados em Novembro e Dezembro em Genebra e Paris.
Um desses relógios, o recentemente descoberto Breguet N°3104, demonstra o engenho de Abraham-Louis Breguet, que patenteou em 1783 a mola do gong para repetições.
O Breguet N°3104, adquirido em Novembro através da Antiquorum, reapareceu após 140 anos na posse de uma família europeia. Inicialmente, foi vendido em 1818 ao Príncipe Infante Francisco de Paula, de Espanha, Conde de Moratalla.
Além de repetição minutos, a peça, com caixa de 62,5 mm, de ouro, tem horas saltantes e decoração "grão de trigo" da autoria de Pierre-Benjamin Tavernier. O mostrador de prata, com guilloché igualmente de Tavernier, tem pequenos segundos às 8 horas.
Do comunicado da Breguet:
Adorned with the Breguet secret signature on both sides of the number 12, the dial is enhanced by ‘open-tipped’ hands in blued steel, commonly known as Breguet hands, invented by the watchmaker in the same year that he introduced the gong-spring.
As for the movement, this exceptional piece houses a 22’’ calibre with visible inverted cylinder escapement. The repeater spring operates on two gongs struck by two hammers activated by a piston situated in the pendant of the watch.
The Bourbon family of Spain were among the clients of the House of Breguet from the earliest years of the 19th century – King Charles IV and Queen Marie-Christine purchased many Breguet timepieces, as did their children after them. The future Ferdinand VII and his brother the Infante Francisco de Paula owned some prestigious Breguet pieces. Other members of the family purchased Breguet watches and clocks during their period of exile in France between 1808 and 1814. The Infante Francisco de Paula, owner of the Breguet N°3104, left a long line of descendants: he is in fact the direct ancestor of the current King of Spain.
The second piece acquired by Breguet is the N°4720, recently ceded to the House by the auctioneers Fraysse. It is a very fine tact watch with a regulating dial, sold to Casimir Périer in 1841. This timepiece is adorned with a yellow gold, hand-guilloché hunter case, along with a double chain and key. Its satin-brushed silver dial features two counters – for the hours and 30 seconds – as well as a central minute hand. The watch is adjusted around the edge of the 30-second counter.
The external hand, characteristic of tact watches, here takes on a serpentine form. First marketed in 1799, tact watches were invented by Breguet to enable the time to be read by touch. An arrow on the outside of the case reproduces the position of the hours hand, while twelve protruding studs around the case represent the hour markers. Sometimes referred to as ‘watches for the blind’, tact watches allow the wearer to tell the time by touch alone. The traditional dial also enables the time to be read in a more conventional manner.
The third Breguet acquisition is a collection of ten historic letters regarding the House’s business in Russia from 1808 to 1810. Beyond his gift for watchmaking, A.-L. Breguet was also an extraordinary entrepreneur, who very quickly developed a large-scale commercial network for his timepieces. From his very beginnings in business, he cultivated a long and fruitful relationship with the Russian Empire as part of his export policy. While he was already acquainted with certain Russian personalities before 1790, it was from 1801 onwards that his first major sales were concluded. In the spring of 1808, after careful reflection and following the very positive reactions he received from his Russian clients,
Breguet decided to conduct an original experiment in Saint Petersburg – the opening of a branch managed by a man salaried by and working exclusively for the House. A.-L. Breguet found a fitting candidate in Lazare Moreau, nicknamed Zarenne, a bold young salesman whose talents he had come to appreciate during a difficult business trip to Prussia.
The letters now enhancing the collection in the Breguet Museum, bought on 2nd December at the auctioneers Aguttes, were sent to Moreau by Breguet senior and junior. Brought to auction by Moreau’s descendants, they provide fascinating insights into the business activities of Breguet during its founder’s lifetime.
The House is delighted to include these new objects in its large collection of antique watches and manuscripts. It invites all enthusiasts of history, culture and prestige watchmaking to discover its fabulous heritage, now on display at its museums in Paris, Zurich and Shanghai.
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