Each field has their own giants: in physics, one can think of names such as Einstein or Newton; in soccer we had Pele’, Maradona, Ronaldo; in politics Napoleon, Lincoln, Queen Victoria…
Watchmaking and watch collecting are however a different animal. While in other fields there usually are a few names that spark discussion about “The Best”, when it comes to watchmaking there is one and only one name that undisputedly rules above all - and inspired many of - the Smiths, Daniels, Dufours and so forth: Abraham-Louis Breguet.
A pioneer of the field active between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century in Paris, he invented or perfected many of the technologies employed today in watchmaking, his most famous patent - the tourbillon regulator (1801) - being only a small example amongst many. Of course the Breguet company is still active today, and still creating incredible pieces of watchmaking art, but the present timepiece is a tier above the rest, as it was completed in 1822 and A.L. Breguet passed away in 1823. Thus, it is quite likely that at least part of the production of this piece was overseen by the Man himself. In fact, the piece is somewhat of an horological treasure trove from a technical standpoint as well, as it incorporates a quarter repeater "a toc" - that means the hammers do not strike gongs but rather the case, giving off tactile vibrations rather than sound for a stealthier (and more polite, at the time) usage of the complication. The complication is activated via the pusher next to the bow. However, the surprises do not end here: it conceals an additional quirk in the form of a very unusual jump hour-hand, meaning the hand stands still for most of the time, "jumping" at the turn of the hour.
Owning a Breguet onto which Breguet himself worked can arguably be considered the ultimate tier of historical watch collecting. Maybe, akin to owning a Leonardo or a Raffaello (even in art, as one can notice, there is more than one name to choose from as “the best”). When one compounds to that the incredible condition of this watch - not showing at all its 202 years of age - the presence of the original numbered box and not one but two invoice copies, one realises they are in the presence of true watchmaking greatness of the most rare and refined kind.
