Breguet - TOKI: Watch Auction Hong Kong Friday, November 22, 2024 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Breguet
    Year: Circa 1926
    Movement No: 1’045
    Case No: 9’199
    Material: 18K white gold and pink gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 17”’, jewelled
    Dimensions: 45mm diameter
    Signed: Case and movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by an unsigned fabric pouch with Japanese calligraphy. Further delivered with Breguet Certificate of Authenticity confirming the date of sale on 9th July 1926 to Mr. Mitoui T.K. for the price of 16,000 French Francs.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present Breguet pocket watch is a prime example, created during the Art Deco period. Encased in a remarkably rare two-tone 18K gold configuration, featuring both pink and white gold, this pocket watch is a true rarity in the world of Breguet horology.

    Although the dial does not bear Breguet's iconic signature, the coin-edge fluting adorning the caseband is a distinctive hallmark that gives away the watch's provenance. Additionally, the jumping hours design employed in this piece is quite uncommon, having been utilized in other notable timepieces like the Cartier Tank à Guichets, which have since become modern classics.

    The elegant two-tone case of this Breguet pocket watch was crafted by the renowned Verger Frères, a master jeweler and horologist of the Art Deco era, as evidenced by the "V.F." stamp on the inner caseback. Ferdinand Verger, the founder of Verger Frères, had previously worked for prestigious brands like Vacheron Constantin earlier in his career.

    According to the Certificate of Authenticity, this pocket watch was first sold to a Mr. Mitoui T.K. in 1926 for the substantial sum of 16,000 French Francs. Together with a pouch that is written in traditional Japanese calligraphy, loosely translated:

    “The watch gleams like the Cassiopeia constellation, a beacon of light that dances eternally in the night sky. Please keep the watch in place, a guiding star illuminating your journey.”

    The fact that this piece has now returned to the hands of a Japanese collector adds an intriguing chapter to its provenance.

  • 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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Property of a Japanese Collector

60

A well-preserved, very rare and attractive two-tone white gold and pink gold open-faced keyless digital pocket watch with jumping hours and disc minutes

Circa 1926
45mm diameter
Case and movement signed

Estimate
HK$150,000 - 320,000 
€17,300-36,900
$19,200-41,000

Sold for HK$406,400

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2030
WatchesHK@phillips.com

Gertrude Wong
Head of Sale, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2045
gertrudewong@phillips.com

TOKI: Watch Auction

Hong Kong Auction 22 November