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Breguet
Ref. 3040BA
Serpentine
A fine and attractive yellow gold triple date calendar wristwatch with moon phases and serpentine hand, retailed by Chaumet
Full-Cataloguing
Even though Breguet belonged to Chaumet only a handful of timepieces were cosigned by both brands. The present timepiece is clearly a Breguet reference 3040 “Serpentine” featuring the day and date indications via apertures on the top part of the dial, moonphase indication at six and date on the inner track indicated by a serpentine hand – thus the watch's nickname.
The present example, in overall superb condition presents two very rare elements, the gold guilloché dial that was found on the very early models and the Chaumet signature above the moonphase display where normally the watch number is featured and also engraved on the caseback along with the Breguet signature.
Breguet
Swiss | 1775Established in 1775 by Abraham Louis Breguet, widely considered the greatest watchmaker of all time, the storied brand continues to thrive in the modern era, creating exceptional high-end watches as the Swatch Group's premier prestige brand. Some of the most important and lasting inventions in watchmaking are attributed to Abraham Louis Breguet, including the tourbillon, shock resistance and the use of hammers and gongs employed in nearly all minute repeating watches made since.
Eighteenth and nineteenth century Breguet pocketwatches are especially sought-after by collectors, and many of them were made for the elite of European society, including Napoléon and Marie Antoinette. Key wristwatches from the twentieth century include oversized dress watches, two-register chronographs, triple calendars and Type XX aviator's chronographs made for the French military and civilians.