US import tariffs: Non-US origin lots in this sale (including watches and timepieces with Swiss-made or non-US made movements) will be subject to special tariffs upon import to the USA, currently ranging from 10% to 39% on the total invoice price (hammer price plus buyer’s premium). Buyers are responsible for paying any applicable tariffs, duties, taxes and charges when importing their purchased lots. Due to the evolving nature of international trade regulations, we recommend clients consult with their local customs office or advisor for up-to-date information on the applicable tariffs.
22
Breguet
"Equation of Time"
A jaw-dropping, rare and important yellow gold perpetual calendar open face pocketwatch with power reserve, moonphases and equation of time, one of only 2 known
- Estimate
- CHF100,000 - 200,000€108,000 - 216,000$126,000 - 251,000
CHF241,300
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Breguet
- Year
- 1932
- Movement No
- 2492
- Case No
- 2492
- Model Name
- "Equation of Time"
- Material
- 18k yellow gold
- Calibre
- Manuel, 19''' (Victorin Piguet ebauche), 38 jewels
- Dimensions
- 51mm diameter
- Signed
- Dial signed and numbered, case and movement numbered
- Accessories
- Accompanied by Breguet Extract from Archives confirming production of the present piece in 1932 and its subsequent sale on 27 September 1940 for 80,000 French Francs and presentation box.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Each field has their own giants: in physics, one can think of names such as Einstein or Newton; in music it can be Bach, Mozart, the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, in football we have Maradona, Pélé or Ronaldo...
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 Journes, Daniels or Dufours: Abraham-Louis Breguet. Abraham-Louis Breguet has influenced watchmaking as we know it from his mechanical innovations, to his fresh design codes and even the way of running a business. Certain design cues are so embedded in the DNA of a watch manufacture that it is hardly necessary to print the name on the dial. Such is the case with Breguet, who, since 1775, has artfully utilized the combination of aesthetic traits and technical prowess to create watches unlike any other.
It is therefore with a sense of exhilaration that we offer today the Breguet number 2492 an astoundingly beautiful and technically groundbreaking astronomical timepiece, fresh to the market and from the family of the original owner. Doing without the traditional guilloché dial, the watch nevertheless features signature elements such as the Breguet hands and separate indications via long retrograde hands.
This superlative timepiece features a moonphase display at 12 o’clock, the indication of the month in the centre (a feature Breguet adopted in the ref 3310 perpetual calendar of the late 1980s), power reserve indication on the left side of the dial (with 0 being full wind), the date on the right hand side and the equation of time on the lower section. The equation of time is a rare complication that displays the difference between mean solar time – our civil time based on a conventional twenty-four-hour period – and true solar time, which varies with the earth’s irregular orbit round the sun.
Abraham Louis Breguet had started experimenting with the equation of time as early as 1779 with different iterations including what is probably his most famous piece: the Marie Antoinette. The present Equation of Time made in 1932 (but only sold in 1940) is so rare that in fact the last similar piece to appear in an international auction room was in Antiquorum’s The Art of Breguet auction of 1991 and as such no other piece has come to the market in over 30 years.
Fresh to the market and from the family of the original owner the present Breguet Equation of Time is one of only 2 examples made (according to Breguet archives).
We would like to thank Emmanuel Breguet and the Breguet museum for their help in researching the present watch.
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 Journes, Daniels or Dufours: Abraham-Louis Breguet. Abraham-Louis Breguet has influenced watchmaking as we know it from his mechanical innovations, to his fresh design codes and even the way of running a business. Certain design cues are so embedded in the DNA of a watch manufacture that it is hardly necessary to print the name on the dial. Such is the case with Breguet, who, since 1775, has artfully utilized the combination of aesthetic traits and technical prowess to create watches unlike any other.
It is therefore with a sense of exhilaration that we offer today the Breguet number 2492 an astoundingly beautiful and technically groundbreaking astronomical timepiece, fresh to the market and from the family of the original owner. Doing without the traditional guilloché dial, the watch nevertheless features signature elements such as the Breguet hands and separate indications via long retrograde hands.
This superlative timepiece features a moonphase display at 12 o’clock, the indication of the month in the centre (a feature Breguet adopted in the ref 3310 perpetual calendar of the late 1980s), power reserve indication on the left side of the dial (with 0 being full wind), the date on the right hand side and the equation of time on the lower section. The equation of time is a rare complication that displays the difference between mean solar time – our civil time based on a conventional twenty-four-hour period – and true solar time, which varies with the earth’s irregular orbit round the sun.
Abraham Louis Breguet had started experimenting with the equation of time as early as 1779 with different iterations including what is probably his most famous piece: the Marie Antoinette. The present Equation of Time made in 1932 (but only sold in 1940) is so rare that in fact the last similar piece to appear in an international auction room was in Antiquorum’s The Art of Breguet auction of 1991 and as such no other piece has come to the market in over 30 years.
Fresh to the market and from the family of the original owner the present Breguet Equation of Time is one of only 2 examples made (according to Breguet archives).
We would like to thank Emmanuel Breguet and the Breguet museum for their help in researching the present watch.
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.
Browse MakerEighteenth 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.