195 - Abraham-Louis Breguet - Watch with a Repeater Based on the Principles of Chronometers

Abraham-Louis Breguet - Watch with a Repeater Based on the Principles of Chronometers An important, extremely rare Breguet pocket watch with a quarter repeater and an early lever escapement, manufactured as a "watch with a repeater based on the principles of chronometers" with the finest "Garde Temps" movement quality - sold on January 23, 1818, to Hugues Wenham for 4,000 francs; repurchased and modernized by Breguet on October 5, 1839; and sold on October 26, 1844, to the Count of Fersen—with Breguet certificate no. 4327 Movement No. 396, Case No. B 2690, Dimensions 40 mm, circa 1818, Weight 48 g, Origin France, Original certificate Case: 18K gold, “quatre baguettes” case design, guilloché pattern, pusher for the repeater via a pull-twist piston through the pendant. Dial: Enamel, secret signature “Breguet 396.” Movement: Bridge movement, key-wound, 1 hammer / 1 gong, unusual gear train with an extra wheel, shock protection (“parachute”), compensation balance with gold and platinum screws, early lever escapement. This watch was first sold in 1818 to Hugues Wenham, Breguet’s representative in Saint Petersburg, and was later repurchased by Breguet to be modernized. During this work, it was assigned the new number 396. The watch was fitted with a new enamel dial which, unlike the earlier silver dial, features a secret signature. In 1844, it was sold once again, this time to the Count of Fersen. At Breguet, buying back watches and reselling them after modernization was common practice—a testament to the consistently high quality of Breguet timepieces. The name Fersen refers to an ancient noble house that originated in Lower Saxony, with branches that still exist today. In the 13th century, the family settled in Pomerania, then in Estonia in the 16th century; later, the family was also well-respected in Prussia, Sweden, and Russia. Count Axel von Fersen was born in 1798, the son of Count Fabian Reinhold von Fersen and the nephew of Axel von Fersen the Younger (1755–1810), who was one of Marie Antoinette’s closest companions. From 1821 to 1823, he served as adjutant to King Karl Johan XVI and was subsequently appointed a major in the army. He was a great admirer of the English lifestyle and was the first Swede to build a racetrack and import thoroughbred horses. Count Fersen died in Pisa, unmarried and without any heir. Case: very good, slightly rubbed. Dial: very good, later original. Movement: very good, in working order, cleaning recommended.