Masterworks of Time: Abraham Louis Breguet, Horologist Extraordinaire 「時間傑作——阿伯拉罕・路易・寶璣：鐘錶鬼才」

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 73. BREGUET [寶璣] | A VERY RARE, FINE AND SLIM WHITE GOLD OPEN-FACED KEYLESS LEVER JUMP HOUR WATCH WITH DIGITAL DISPLAY PERPETUAL CALENDAR NO. 1116, SOLD TO MONSIEUR CORTLANDT BISHOP ON 7 MARCH 1927 FOR 24,000 FRANCS [極罕有白金跳時懷錶備萬年曆數字顯示，編號1116，1927年3月7日以24,000法郎售出].

BREGUET [寶璣] | A VERY RARE, FINE AND SLIM WHITE GOLD OPEN-FACED KEYLESS LEVER JUMP HOUR WATCH WITH DIGITAL DISPLAY PERPETUAL CALENDAR NO. 1116, SOLD TO MONSIEUR CORTLANDT BISHOP ON 7 MARCH 1927 FOR 24,000 FRANCS [極罕有白金跳時懷錶備萬年曆數字顯示，編號1116，1927年3月7日以24,000法郎售出]

VAT applies to hammer price and buyer's premium

Lot Closed

June 16, 03:12 PM GMT

Estimate

20,000 - 30,000 CHF

Lot Details

Description

BREGUET

[寶璣]

A VERY RARE, FINE AND SLIM WHITE GOLD OPEN-FACED KEYLESS LEVER JUMP HOUR WATCH WITH DIGITAL DISPLAY PERPETUAL CALENDAR

NO. 1116, SOLD TO MONSIEUR CORTLANDT BISHOP ON 7 MARCH 1927 FOR 24,000 FRANCS

[極罕有白金跳時懷錶備萬年曆數字顯示，編號1116，1927年3月7日以24,000法郎售出]

• Movement: 18''' damascened bridges, lever escapement, jewelled to the centre, bi-metallic compensation balance, signed and numbered Breguet 1116

• Dial: silvered with vertical satin finish, rectangular triple aperture for day, month and date indication in French, tapered aperture for jumping hours with fan-form aperture above for rotating minute disc, signed and numbered Breguet 1116

• Case: 18ct white gold, polished flat back, polished chamfered bezels, white gold pendant and bow, snap-on back signed and numbered B 1116 with Swiss hallmarks and Paris control marks introduced in 1838

diameter 45mm

Monsieur Cortlandt Bishop, New York

Accompanied by a Breguet certificate dated 27 January 2020.

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Cortlandt Bishop, New York

The display of time using apertures cut into the front of a watch's case has a long and rich history, however, it is a style of display that became especially fashionable during the Art Deco period; this was in part accelerated by the novel way this format could be incorporated into and compliment the design of fine and slim dress watches of the period. Interestingly, although such 'window' forms of indication were also well suited to calendar display, jump hour watches with the addition of calendar are rare and those with perpetual calendar especially so. This is almost certainly due to the high cost of production. To illustrate the point, the very high price of 24,000 Francs paid for the present watch was three times more than the cost of a white gold wandering jump hour watch by Breguet sold in the same year, 1927.

Cortlandt Bishop (1870-1935) was a prominent New Yorker known for his varied interests including aviation, cars, and art. His business interests were equally diversified, from a realty portfolio that included prime property on 6th avenue in Manhattan, to his purchase of America’s largest auction house, the American Arts Association-Anderson Galleries, which was the predecessor of Sotheby’s. Under Bishop’s stewardship, Major Hiram H. Parke and Otto Bernet were installed to run the auction house.

Following the death of Bishop in 1935, Parke and Bernet left to found Parke-Bernet Galleries. In 1938, Parke-Bernet purchased the American Arts Association-Anderson Galleries from Bishop’s estate. In 1968 Sotheby’s bought Parke-Bernet Galleries and became Sotheby Parke-Bernet. The name remained unchanged until Alfred taubman purchased the firm, changing the name to Sotheby's.

For a similar Breguet watch (no.1622) but in Osmior metal case and sold in 1930, see Christie's Geneva, 10 November 2014, lot 390.