The Breguet Souscription sets were launched in 1991 in a limited series of 300 examples as a celebration of the brand’s founding father, Abraham Louis Breguet, and his unique idea to have buyers make a down payment of 25% for a watch and the remaining balance due once the watch was delivered to the customer. This allowed Breguet to remain financially stable and allow him to develop other projects.

The present lot is the Souscription Set No. 19 and is made up of two watches in 18K yellow gold; a minute repeating perpetual calendar wristwatch and a large but beautiful pocket watch.

The wristwatch is created in a very classic style with all the information of the perpetual calendar harmoniously displayed on the guilloché dial. Adding to the calendar complication is a minute repeater which makes the watch all the more attractive as all the functions are housed in a comfortable 37mm case.

The pocket watch could be considered the highlight of the Souscription Set as it is based on some historically important Breguet perpetuelle pocket watches from the late 18th century which featured a hammer-winding mechanism. As the owner would go about his day, the movement of the body would make the hammer go up and down, thus winding the watch. The beautiful decoration and complexity of the movement can easily be appreciated through the large display caseback of the pocket watch. The hammer-shaped bumper rotor, first made by Breguet in 1791, is the star of the movement and is crafted from platinum, but the level of finishing is also something that a seasoned collector will spend hours appreciating.