Rare 18ct Gold Breguet Pocket-Watch, French, Circa 1818

A rare 18ct gold quarter-repeater pocket-watch, maker Breguet et Fils French circa 1818. A rare 18ct gold quarter-repeater pocket-watch, maker Breguet et Fils. French Circa 1818. 18 carat gold French pair-cased quarter repeating watch. Both inner and outer cases finely. engine turned. Short circular pendant, round bow. The outer case fits so snugly around the. inner case that at first it is not apparent that it is pair-cased. The outer case is not marked. except for the number 3270 stamped on the inside of that case. The inner case bears French. hallmarks on the inside of the back cover, the numbers 2213 and 3270 with the letter "B". underneath it. Inscribed on the inside cover in script are the figures and word 'No 3270, Breguet". There is a winding hole in the inside cover with an arrow indicating the direction in. which the movement is to be wound. Matt gold dial with black Roman hour numerals. Blued steel moon hands, typically Breguet. Minute divisions marked with black dots. Signed on the inside of the chapter ring at 6o'clock. "Breguet et Fils" in small print. Breguet's "secret signature" appears on either side of the 12. numeral, "Breguet 3270" in minute print. There is an adjusting screw on the dial between 6. and the central Arbor. The movement has a duplex escapement and a balance spring without Breguet overcoil. There is parachute suspension to the balance wheel which has gold weights which are tapered. towards the head. The duplex wheel is a single wheel and not a double wheel as Breguet. generally used. The repeat mechanism is operated by pulling up the knob on the pendant, giving it a quarter. turn clockwise and then pressing it right down. The hours are struck on a gong, and the. quarters are struck on two gongs with different notes. Reference: Abraham Louis Breguet was born at Neuchatel in Switzerland in 1747. His family had a. French protestant background and fled France for sanctuary in Switzerland after the. revocation of the Edict of Nantes. He was 11 years old when his father died and some years. later his mother remarried, to a watchmaker of considerable repute. At about the age of 15 his. step-father sent him to Versailles in France to be apprenticed in the watch trade. In 1768 his. family and step-father returned to France and in 1775 he married into a wealthy family and he. set up home and business on the Quai d'Horloge and in 5 years his reputation was made. Then came the French Revolution and his flight back to Switzerland to escape the terror. He returned to France in 1795. Breguet was an inventive genius, and his list of inventions is extensive. He was not only a master craftsman but also had artistic flair. The name of his firm up until 1807 was simply Breguet but when he took his son Louis Antonio into partnership it changed to Breguet et Fils. Provenance: This watch was brought to Australia by Frederic Tait, thought to have a gallery of some sort in Melbourne. Tait left the watch to his nephew Edward Chetloe Eden of Middle Street, Cleveland and E.C. Eden wrote to Breguet in 1950. He left the watch to his son Edward Archibald Eden in about 1970. Purchased from Ted Eden in 1977 for $3,000.00. A copy of a letter addressed to E. C. Eden from the House of Breguet dated 20th September. 1950 states, as translated from the French, that the watch was sold to a Mr. Sine, valet, for the. sum of 1440 francs. Further correspondence follows and a Certificate of Authenticity could. not be obtained without taking the watch to the House of Breguet in Paris so that it could be. physically inspected. It would appear that the watch was initially made with a ruby cylinder. escapement and later converted to a duplex escapement; where, when and by whom is not. known.

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Carat - A carat (abbreviated "ct") is a unit of measurement used to describe the weight of a diamond or other gemstone, and separately is a unit of measurement used to describe the weight of precious metals such as gold,.

For gemstones, one carat is equal to 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams. The weight of a diamond is one of the Four Cs (along with cut, colour, and clarity) that are used to determine a diamond's value.

It is important to note that a diamond's weight does not necessarily correspond to its size. A diamond's cut, which affects how well it reflects light, can make a diamond of a lower weight appear larger than a diamond of a higher weight. Additionally, the carat is not the only factor to determine the value of a diamond, other factors such as clarity, colour and cut are important too.

In the gold industry, the purity of gold is measured in carats (abbreviated "ct"), with 24 karats being pure gold and lower carat numbers indicating a lower purity level. So, for example, 18 carat gold is 18/24 or 75% pure gold, and 12 carat gold is 12/24 or 50% pure gold.
Pair Cased - A pair cased watch is one with a double case. The movement is encased, and for additional protection this is fitted into an outer case.
Duplex Escapement - A duplex escapement is used in clocks and watches to control the release of energy from the mainspring to the timekeeping mechanism. The duplex escapement is a variation of the lever escapement and is characterized by the use of two pallets, or escape wheels, to control the release of energy.

In a duplex escapement, the balance wheel, which oscillates back and forth, alternately pushes against the two pallets. This allows the energy stored in the mainspring to be transferred to the balance wheel in a controlled manner, keeping the timekeeping mechanism accurate.

One of the advantages of the duplex escapement is its relatively low friction, which helps to maintain accurate timekeeping and prolong the life of the clock or watch. Additionally, the duplex escapement is relatively easy to maintain and repair, making it a popular choice for clockmakers.
Moon Dial - If we imagine life in the 17th century, the only source of ascertaining the time of day or night would have been the local church or municipal clock striking every quarter hour, and able to be heard by all in the village. In England, when longcase clocks became popular and more affordable in the late 17th century, the function of timekeeping and source of time was moved to within the home.

An additional feature on some longcase clocks was to display the phases of the moon, that is the new moon, the full moon and the waning moon over the lunar 29 ½ day cycle. This information was important for farmers for working out cropping schedules; for travellers to know the amount of moonlight on a night they planned to travel; and for those who lived near the sea required knowledge of the tides.

Where included, the moon dial is usually in the form of a disc incorporated into the main dial plate, usually in the arched top section. The lunar cycle starts with the new moon displaying, which is a dark night sky and no man-in-the-moon face being displayed, and then progresses to the full moon face showing on the 15th day of the lunar cycle, and back to no face displaying as the moon wanes. Most lunar dials are partially concealed on each side of their opening in the main dial plate by semi-circular "humps" that allow the painted face to emerge slowly just as the real moon goes out of and back into the earth's shadow.

Nowadays, details of the lunar cycle is published in diaries, almanacs, and newspapers and although some modern longcase clocks are still manufactured with working moon dials, they are more for decoration than for use.
Chapter Ring - A separate metal plate on the face of a clock, on which the numerals for the hours and sometimes parts of the hours, are displayed, usually wheel shaped and sitting on top of the dial plate. The chapter ring is often a feature of the clock and can be silvered or enamelled to stand as a contrast to its background. The hours are usually shown in Roman numerals, although in the late 19th and earlt 20th century, Arabic numerals became fashionable.
Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
Engine Turned - Engine turning is a decorative technique used on metal surfaces to create intricate curving or geometric pattern. The process involves cutting a series of lines into the surface of the metal using a rose engine or decoration lathe which rotates the metal as it cuts, allowing the operator to create a repeating pattern that covers the entire surface. The resulting surface has a shimmering, reflective quality that is often described as "engine turned." Where an engine turned item has been enamelled, the term used to describe the decoration is usually guilloche.

Engine turning was originally developed to decorate metal objects such as firearms, scientific instruments, and other metal objects that required precise and elegant design.

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