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Breguet

Ref. 3237

A very attractive and rare yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with lapis lazuli hour and minute track

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Reference 3237 was in production for most of the 1990s, and it is without a doubt a champion of the era, interpreting it beautifully thanks to the coin-edge case and engine-turned dial.

In fact, engine turning is one of the defining design traits of the brand, featuring a history within the company which harkens back to the very first timepieces made by Mr. A.L. Breguet himself. Thus it is not surprising to find such a decoration in this timepiece. What is instead well beyond surprising and closer to mind-blowing is the incredible additional decoration we find on the present watch.

Immediately apparent even at the most cursory glance, the minute and hour tracks are printed in silver over a solid lapis lazuli base. The aesthetic impact of this detail - which comes to dominate and dictate the looks of the entire watch - cannot be overstate, as cannot be overstated the technical achievement of cutting out the lapis lazuli wafer in this very specific and unusual shape.

If looks and technical prowess boost the attractiveness of the piece, its rarity propels it above any other representative of the model. Lapis lazuli is a material hardly ever used by Breguet, making the present watch an incredibly rare specimen.

Breguet

Swiss | 1775

Established 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.

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