BREGUET NO. 1795/4384 "MONTRE À RÉPÉTITION TURQUE, BOITE ET ÉTUI OR ÉMAILLÉS ROUGE, CUVETTE OR AVEC ÉQUATION, ÉCHAPPEMENT DUPLEX". A HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND UNIQUE 20K GOLD, PAILLONS AND ENAMEL OPENFACE QUARTER REPEATING PAIR CASE CABRIOLET WATCH WITH DUPLEX ESCAPEMENT, CHRONOMETER BALANCE, THE CUVETTE ENGRAVED WITH EQUATION OF TIME, MADE FOR THE TURKISH MARKET

SIGNED BREGUET, NOS. 1795/4384, CASE NO. 2958, SOLD ON 31 DECEMBER 1810 VIA MOREAU/MAISON DE RUSSIE APPARENTLY TO TSAR ALEXANDER I FOR THE SUM OF 3,070 FRANCS

Breguet No. 1795/4384 "Montre à répétition turque, boite et étui or émaillés rouge, cuvette or avec équation, échappement Duplex". A highly important and unique 20K gold, paillons and enamel openface quarter repeating pair case cabriolet watch with duplex escapement, chronometer balance, the cuvette engraved with equation of time, made for the Turkish market
Signed Breguet, Nos. 1795/4384, case no. 2958, sold on 31 December 1810 via Moreau/Maison de Russie apparently to Tsar Alexander I for the sum of 3,070 Francs
Gilded brass movement, double-ruby duplex escapement, double polished steel escape wheels, large bimetallic compensation balance with sliding weights and platinum mean-time adjustment screws, pare-chute suspension on the pivot, blued steel flat balance spring, diamond endstone, quarter repeating on two polished steel hammers onto a gong, gold cuvette engraved with the tables for the months and the equation of time, white enamel dial, Roman numerals, secret signature No. 4384 Breguet below 12 o'clock, blued steel Breguet hands, the inner case with red translucent champlevé enamel over sunburst engine-turning with gold paillon and floral motifs, centred by a gold paillon rosette, red and green translucent champlevé scroll and foliage decorated rims, royal blue and white enamel decorated band, the outer case with red translucent champlevé enamel over sunburst engine-turning with gold grape vine motif, centred by a gold rosette, red, blue and green translucent champlevé scroll and foliage decorated rims, quarter repeating pull-twist push-piece in the pendant, cases no. 1795B and 2958 by Pierre Benjamin Tavernier, cuvette signed Breguet No. 4384, dial signed Breguet and with secret signature below 12
50 mm. & 55.5 mm. diams.

Provenance
1810-1822: apparently Tsar Alexandre I of Russia, as a present for a Turkish dignitary
1822: returned by the above via General Levasheff in exchange for a non-Turkish watch
1822-1825: Breguet
1825: Sold to M. Villaret de Joyeuse, now under no. 1795/4384
1830: Sold to Wenham, Breguet's agent in Russia
c1870-1879: George Arnold Hearn whose collection is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
1879: Sold by Hearn to Russia, possibly to Henry Moser, who adds the present box
1879-c1920: In a Russian collection
c1920-1954: Gunnar Jacobsson (1882-1967) who worked for the Nobel Brothers
1954-c1960: In the family of Christian Gjestvang, one of Sweden's first automobile enthusiasts who introduced Ford and Hudson cars to Sweden. His daughter Alexandra apparently was Sweden's first woman to obtain a driving licence
c1960-1982: Bo Lindh (1908-1982), the son of Alexandra, a well-known art collector (Bo & Margareta Lindh Collection)
1982-2014: Descendants of the above

Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (1777-1825 (or 1864)) is considered one of the greatest Russian Emperors of all time and, after crushing Napoleon in 1812, as one of the most powerful sovereigns in Europe. He was raised by his free-thinking grandmother, Catharine the Great who, it is said, planned not that her son Paul, but her grandson Alexander was to become her successor. Her premature death thwarted those plans, and Alexander became a Tsar only after his father's murder in 1801.

He was married off by Empress Catherina when he was only 15 to Princess Louise of Baden. Their two children died young. Six years later, two years before becoming the Emperor, he met Princess Maria Naryshkina who, for the next twenty years, became his mistress and with whom he had at least five children.

He had rare traits for a monarch; in private he was amiable as confirmed not only by his friends but also by adversaries. He enjoyed music; he more than once publicly regretted that the Empress Catherine had never allowed him to learn the violin. Napoleon called him The philosopher on the throne, as conveyed by Comtesse de Choiseul-Gouffier.

Alexander was reported to have an outstanding memory. He joked that he needed it because his generals were killing theirs with vodka.

In politics he was shrewd and often controlling to the smallest details. His letters to the commanders of his armies show that regularly he took part in planning every detail. Napoleon, in a conversation with General Balacheff in early 1812 expressed his astonishment that Alexander took the trouble to command his armies in person. "That is well enough for an old corporal like me," he added. Although Napoleon acknowledged Alexander's talents and power, he considered himself to be greater. History proved him wrong.

After securing the position of Russia as one of the greatest powers in Europe at the Congress of Vienna, in which he participated with his mistress Princess Naryshkina, Alexander's life had changed. In 1824 he mourned the death of his beloved daughter, Sofia, whom he had with his mistress. The next year he took a trip to the south of Russia where he supposedly died. A well-substantiated rumor circulated that in his sorrow he simulated his death and became a monk, taking the name of Feodor Kuzmich, whose handwriting is described to be identical to Alexander's. Kuzmich (or Alexander I) was visited by Emperor Alexander II in 1837, and his grave was visited by Nicholas II in 1893.

The present watch is an exceptionally fine example of one of Breguet's timepieces made for the Ottoman market, distinguished by an impressive number of rare details, the provenance certainly one of the most important feature: although described as "Montre Répétition Turque" in the records of Breguet, it was sold by his Saint Petersburg branch apparently to Tsar Alexander I on 31 December 1810. Putting into context the political situation at the time, it becomes evident that the watch was not destined for the Tsar, who himself was a faithful and important client of Breguet, but meant as means to end the Russo-Turkish War raging since 1806. Alexander knew that a military conflict with Napoleon was imminent and feared a war on two fronts, against the Ottoman Empire and France. He was anxious to end the war with Turkey which would allow him to deploy more troops against Napoleon. On 1 June 1810, the Russian Secretary of War wrote to General Kamensky, commander-in-chief on the Turkish front, "At the present moment, the well-being of Russia solely depends on the peace with Turkey" (1). On 14 July of the same year, Tsar Alexander I personally reiterated the sentiment "The quick ending of the war with Turkey is of great importance to us" (2).

It is unknown if the watch was bought as a present for the ruling Sultan Mahmud II in the event of a peace treaty, or for one of his enemies, for example Mulla Pasha, the commander of Vidin, an important fortification on the bank of the Danube river, with whom General Kutuzov (General Kamensky's replacement) had secretly opened negotiations (3). In any case, and regrettably for Tsar Alexander I, Sultan Mahmud II was well aware of the imminent conflict between Russia and France, and was desirous to win the war (4), thus annihilating Alexander's hope for peace.

At this point the watch was no longer needed and was eventually returned to Breguet by General Lewascheff (or Levasheff), the adjutant of Alexander I, who took in exchange watch no. 3260, an equally remarkable repeater with high precision lever escapement, but aesthetically very much in Western style (later in the Becher collection, illustrated in George Daniel's The Art of Breguet, p. 245, pl. 277a-c).

Watch no. 1795 was serviced, the dial was exchanged, and it was sold under new number 4384 (description in the books of Breguet reading "No. 4384, former no. 1795, Turkish repeating watch, case and étui gold and red enamel, gold cuvette with equation, Duplex escapement) at a substantial profit, on 7 February 1825 to M. Villaret de Joyeuse, a son of the French Admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse.

Abraham-Louis Breguet's most spectacular timepieces were those destined for the Ottoman Empire, captivating by their opulently enamelled and brightly coloured decoration, ostentatiously contrasting with the neo-classical, often almost understated design of his traditional watches. Contrary to common belief, Breguet's most expensive watch ever sold was not the ultra-complicated "Marie-Antoinette" but rather his "Sympathique" clock no. 758 covered in precious stones, worth 35,000 francs, chosen by Napoleon as a gift to mark the instatement of Sultan Mahmud II (5) - illustrating the enormous significance of the Turkish market for Breguet. The Sultan was so delighted by the present that he assigned Breguet's representative Leroy with the maintenance of all the timepieces in his palace.

Watch and clock gift exchange between the Arab World and the West began in 799AD when Caliph Harun al-Rashid presented the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, with a complicated automaton water clock. It had 12 brass balls that struck hours by falling on a cymbal and 12 carved horsemen which came parading out of little windows (6).

750 years later, from 1548, the clock and watch gifts were flowing in the opposite direction - from Holy Roman Emperors to Ottoman's Sultans (7). The Ottomans quickly developed their own taste for watches which, on the highest level, were required to be decorated with enamels. This market first belonged to the British; George Prior, Markham Markwick, both of London, produced thousands, if not tens of thousands, watches destined for Constantinople. This lasted until Breguet took the Ottoman market by storm for himself. Breguet's timepieces became the most prized in the Ottoman Court. Consequently, they also became the favorite presents for high Turkish officials including the Sultan.
Emmanuel Breguet in his definitive work on the subject, Breguet, Watchmakers since 1775, writes "Breguet's wares were either sold or presented as gifts to the most important dignitaries of the Ottoman Empire" (p. 230). King of Spain, Joseph I presented a Breguet watch there in 1808, Napoleon in 1812, as well as Prince Ferdinand, the future King Ferdinand VII, and to Prince Charles, the future Charles X of France, both also in 1812, and Prince Friedrich-Wilhelm-Ludwig of Prussia in 1814. No wonder Alexander chose Breguet's watch as a present for the sultan during the days when the peace with him was so crucial to the very existence of the Russian Empire which was at the time threatened by the mighty power of Napoleon.

The peace treaty was signed in Bucharest on 28 May 1812, just 13 days before Napoleon's invasion of Russia. If it had not been signed, the faith of Russia and all of Europe might have been completely different. It is tempting to speculate to what extent the watch played a role in Alexander's plans for this peace.

Watch no. 1795/4384 is the perfect example of one of Breguet's extraordinary Turkish market watches. Its production required more than five years, starting in 1804 (delivery of the ébauche on 27 January 1805) and ending on 30 March 1810 when its enamellist Lallemand had finished the cases.

The lavishly decorated cases demonstrate the superb craftsmanship of 19th century watchmaking and enamelling, an art in which Breguet unquestionably excelled. The two cases are conceived to be used either "open" and showing the dial or "closed" showing the back of the inner case, hence the designation "Cabriolet". The cases are of such outstandingly high quality, allowing the inner case to fit so perfectly into the outer case, that the two sides show virtually no difference, neither visible nor tangible, when used as hunter case. Only an exceedingly small number of Breguet's best Turkish market watches were equipped with this case style.

It is fascinating to follow the path of the creation of the cases for the present watch: the inner case, in 20K gold, another rare feature only used in Breguet's elite timepieces, was made by Pierre Benjamin Tavernier, one of Breguet's best early workers and more frequently used by him than any other case maker, and delivered on 28 December 1808. On 19 April 1809 he had finished the outer case, also in 20K gold. On 6 June, Tardé had completed the equation of time chart, and on 5 September, the case spring was made. The crystal was supplied by Roger on 19 October. On 31 January 1810, Sautter completed the engravings on both cases, a very costly work. On 28 February, Tavernier finished the guillochage or engine-turning of the case backs, another expensive task, and finally Lallemand completed the enamelling on 30 March 1810. Breguet's total cost for the cases alone was 980 francs, much higher than the price of his average gold repeating watch.

The price of the duplex escapement of the watch is even more astonishing, exceeding 500 francs, whereas the standard ruby cylinder escapement would cost Breguet an average of 66 francs. This enormous fee becomes understandable when taking into consideration a number of aspects involved: Breguet's enamelled watches with duplex escapement and chronometer balances are per se rare but particularly when used in a Turkish-style watch: only two are known to exist to date, the present no. 1795/4384, and no. 936 sold on 29 December 1863, 40 years after Breguet's death, to the Viceroy of Egypt.

The duplex escapement of this watch is a highly unusual variant with jewelled impulse and locking faces, reserved for special watches or special clients, such as watch no. 2658 sold to Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples. Both the latter and the present watch feature double escape wheels made of steel and superbly polished, as all the other steel parts in the movement. The balance is of the same style that Breguet used for his chronometers, with platinum mean-time adjustment screws as found in his early Earnshaw-type balances, as opposed to the steel version of later examples. The sliding weights are necessary for the continuous adjustment of the temperature compensation. Unlike the screw compensation system, the sliding weights allow adjusting of even the smallest variations in temperature. It is virtually the same balance as in Breguet's pocket chronometer no. 4216, now in the British Museum (Inv. No. 1958,1201.1849).

The enamel dial of the present watch features the secret signature No. 4384 Breguet in Breguet's typical style.

The equation of time chart on the cuvette indicating solar time was a popular feature in Breguet's high quality watches for the Turkish market, a further indication that the watch was bought as a present for an Ottoman dignitary of highest importance. Other examples of Breguet's Turkish watches with equation of time chart include nos. 2607, 2614, 2890, 2916, 3814, 4255 and 4384.

Only one other comparable Turkish market watch has appeared in public in recent years, no. 2090, sold at Polly Auctions on 9 December 2011 for RMB4,370,000 (nearly US$700,000), now in the distinguished Musée Breguet. It is strikingly similar to the present watch, featuring the same convertible case style, also enamelled by Lallemand with the same pattern. The key difference between the two watches however is their timekeeping quality: whereas no. 2090 was fitted with a regular ruby cylinder escapement and plain monometallic balance (cost 88 francs), the present watch was made as a precision timekeeper with special escapement and compensation balance, costing six times mores (500 francs).

Following its return to Breguet in 1825, watch no. 1795/4384 continued being appreciated by several distinguished private collectors and has spent the last nearly 100 years in two important Swedish collections.

It now represents the exceedingly rare opportunity for the discerning collector to own one of Breguet's rarest, most attractive and historically important timepieces ever offered in public.

(1) Russo-Turkish war of 1806-1812 by General Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, St. Petersburg, 1843, Vol. II, p. 24 (translated by A. Mikaberidze)
(2) Alexander I to General Kamensky, op, cit., p. 31
(3) Virginia Asan, Ottoman Wars 1700-1870, New York, 2013, p. 274
(4) Russo-Turkish war of 1806-1812 by General Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, St. Petersburg, 1843, Vol. II, p. 95
(5) Breguet - Watchmakers since 1775 by Emmanuel Breguet, p. 234
(6) André Clot Harun al-Rashid, Paris, 1986, p. 97
(7) Bertold Spuler, Die europäische Diplomatie in Konstantinopel bis zum Frieden von Belgrad, Breslau, 1935

热烈恭喜买家。成交价269000瑞郎，不便宜，但值。我不玩也不懂怀表，但在我外行人看来，怀表收藏的最高境界，可以没有PP，但无论如何也要有至少一只名副其实的真正宝玑怀表。

宝玑历史悠久，品牌历经演变，最精华的部分自然是大师生平年代，比如这一只，No 1795，于1810年12月31日在圣彼得堡售出，有可靠证据表明买下此表的第一任表主是沙皇亚历山大一世，然后沙皇将此作为奖赏授予一位土耳其权贵。宝玑关于此表有详尽档案记载，佳士得拍卖目录里已一一列出。

此表为当年宝玑十分拿手也相对制作较多的二问表，表盘面似乎平淡无奇，但翻到背面，再打开看内层和机芯，相信一定会令你我叹为观止。事实上，就是表盘也十分引人入胜，仔细近看十二点XII下方，可以看到宝玑秘密签名，且有表盘编号4384，据宝玑档案记载，此表于1825年返厂维护保养时，换了表盘，新盘编号4384，原盘应为土耳其数字时标盘面（土耳其数字时标乃至所谓的土耳其表是什么样的，各位可在自行网上搜索，呵呵，我就不剥夺各位这项乐趣了）。我不知道会不会有人要说，不是百分百原装盘啊，呵呵，但那都是什么时候的事啦，何况这样的身世。具体情况具体分析嘛。这等的“后换盘”，就与原装盘无异，近代表中，PP不少定制后换盘面的稀有品种也是类似情况。

言归正传，这表的机芯十分了得。什么时候有机会请新主人拿出来和我们各位分享分享，哈哈。可惜我没有超清大图，根据佳士得拍卖目录描述，仅列出以下几个关键词：双擒纵、双金属补偿摆轮，铂金调时螺丝、全钻托石。哇，就此打住，已经明了，自古以来的最高级别。表的内盖还刻有时间等式，常见于宝玑当年制作的最高级土耳其表。再看表背，Paillon金箔绘半透明红珐琅，美轮美奂，典型的土耳其风格，正如同时期另一枚宝玑怀表，No 2077，“The King of Spain”大自鸣三问。

这只No 1795/4384多年来似乎不为世人所知，反正本人向来孤陋寡闻，第一次见识，尚且仅限于纸面。佳士得本场拍卖好表多多，这一标是其中当之无愧的瑰宝，再次恭喜买家，慧眼识宝，大手笔喜得心头好。

接下来，怎么贴图？请哪位指教。

翻拍了一张上文提到的No 2077，“The King of Spain”，可是不知如何上传。

还有，明明分段的回复，怎么发表后都挤成了一堆？

论坛改版，问题不少啊。希望尽快一一解决。