Breguet - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVII Geneva Saturday, May 13, 2023 | Phillips

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    • Manufacturer: Breguet
      Year: 1962
      Case No: 1629
      Material: Stainless steel
      Calibre: Automatic, cal. AS 1581, 17 jewels
      Bracelet/Strap: Tropic
      Clasp/Buckle: Generic stainless steel buckle
      Dimensions: 37mm Diameter
      Signed: Case numbered, dial signed
      Accessories: Accompanied by Breguet Certificate confirming production of the present watch in 1962 and its subsequent sale on October 12, 1965 to Mr. Rosenthal for a sum of 468 francs.

    • Catalogue Essay

      While Breguet is perhaps best known today for its history of creating elaborate pocketwatches, gentlemanly timepieces with guilloché dials or even adventure-laden Type XX pilot chronographs, what many do not know is the fact that Breguet dipped its horological toe in the deep waters of diving instruments in the mid 1960s.

      One of the rarest dive watches ever produced, the present timepiece presents all the design elements of the a fine vintage dive watch, such as a rotating Bakelite bezel, no crown guards, straight lugs and large luminous indexes for ease of underwater legibility.

      Scholarship indicates that Breguet made less than 60 dive watches such as the present model with varying dial designs including a version with smaller indexes and another with Arabic numerals. As such, it is always with a sense of exaltation that one comes across a Breguet dive watch, no less in extraordinary condition. To date, only around a handful of Breguet dive watches have ever graced an auction room, underscoring the rarity of the present example. We are delighted to offer you this extraordinary example. Another example, sold at Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo and very close in serial number made a then record when it was sold in 2018 for CHF131,250.

      Preserved in superb condition with a strong case, delightful Bakelite bezel and impeccable dial, the present watch is a trophy piece for any collector looking to complete his or her collection of dive watches.

    • Artist Biography

      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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82

An incredibly rare and attractive diver's wristwatch with large luminous indexes, date and Bakelite bezel

1962
37mm Diameter
Case numbered, dial signed

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
CHF40,000 - 80,000 
€41,600-83,300
$45,700-91,400

Sold for CHF120,650

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XVII

Geneva Auction 13 - 14 May 2023