1038
Breguet
Ref. 1890, Perpetuelle
A fine and attractive limited edition yellow gold openface keyless pocket watch with chain, hammer-winding movement, date, power reserve indication and moon phases, numbered 9 of a limited edition of 300 pieces
Full-Cataloguing
Known as ref. 1890, the present pocket watch is a modern interpretation of Breguet’s late 18th-century perpetuelle watches. Among the originals, the most celebrated is No. 5, sold in 1794 to a French nobleman and now frequently exhibited by the Breguet Museum.
In the 1990s, Breguet remained a relatively modest enterprise under Investcorp’s ownership, producing fewer than 4,000 watches annually. Manufacture of the ref. 1890 was entrusted to Michel Parmigiani, one of the few watchmakers to have successfully restored a 19th-century Breguet Sympathique clock capable of winding and setting a paired pocket watch.
Though often described as a replica, the ref. 1890 is more accurately a reinterpretation. While it shares the hammer-winding mechanism of the original perpetuelle, it omits the minute repeater complication and introduces modern refinements. The platinum delta-shaped rotor, mounted on sapphire rollers and connected to a serpentine steel arm, is both technically sophisticated and visually striking. The symmetrical sprung bumper and parachute shock absorbers on both pivots further elevate its mechanical elegance.
With its impressive 62mm case diameter, the movement is displayed in full splendour, allowing every detail of its architecture and finishing to be admired. Numbered 9 of a limited edition of 300 pieces, the present 18K yellow gold example is offered in excellent condition and accompanied by a gold chain.
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.