BreguetClassique TouRbillon

In 1801, Breguet patented the tourbillon, a device designed to eliminate timing errors due to the action of gravity. This was done by mounting the watch balance and escapement in a cage which rotated, meaning that all errors would be equalled out over the course of one revolution of the cage.

It was nearly 150yrs before the tourbillon made the transition to wristwatches and almost 200yrs before Breguet reclaimed their most famous innovation and built a wristwatch to showcase it. Since 1990 tourbillon watches have represented the pinnacle of the brand’s watchmaking prowess, but this was the model that began it, the 36mm Classique Tourbillon ref. 3357.

The case shows all the classic hallmarks of Breguet’s construction with hand soldered lugs, screwed lug bars and a ‘coin edge’ case middle. The 3/a dial is crafted from 18ct gold which is decorated with fine barleycorn guilloche by hand using a rose engine. The dial is then brushed with finely powdered silver before being sealed. Either side of the 12 is Breguet’s ‘secret signature’ - a nod to one of the earliest forms of copy protection that Breguet used on his own watches. The hands are blued steel with characteristic Breguet ‘pomme’ tips. The tourbillon carriage is set at 6 with the second hand mounted on top. With only a third of the minute track available, the second hand is made of three arms, each traversing 20 seconds at a time.

The rear of the watch reveals the 21 jewel calibre 558T, finely decorated with hand engraving and the date of Breguet’s tourbillon patent in the style of the French Revolutionary calendar. The watch is fitted to a non-Breguet black leather strap with an 18ct gold Breguet pin buckle.

The watch is offered in good, worn condition. There are small marks and nicks to the bezel, lugs, and case. The dial and hands are free of any marks or aging and the movement is unmarked. The crown has small nicks to the ridges, the strap shows some signs of wear, and the buckle has light scratches.

All watches offered for sale are searched and cleared against The Watch Register database and a certificate is available to the winning bidder upon request.

The description of this auction lot is, to the best of the seller's knowledge, accurate and not misleading. Watch Collecting requests a range of detail about the lot from the seller, and performs a level of due diligence. However, bidders must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the description, and conduct any research they feel is necessary before committing to a bid. Please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.