Abraham-Louis Breguet

• oil on canvas, mounted and framed

Only very few of these portraits were made either for workshops or for the private apartments of Abraham-Louis Breguet. The present one stayed in the family since its origin by direct descendants. One other example is now part of the collection at the International Museum of Watchmaking in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland.

The present oil painting is featured in the reference book by Emmanuel Breguet  ‘Breguet Watchmaker since 1775’, 1997, p. 14.

This oil painting has always been in the family since the origin, one can notice some alterations on the canvas with signs of restorations, gilt neo classical frame, a highly valuable testimony to the genius of Abraham Louis Breguet, to be considered as a remarkable historical piece.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

While the genius of Abraham-Louis Breguet is generally more evident in his style and his adaptation of practical ideas than in his inventions - indeed, the only inventions he can truly be credited with are the constant force escapement and the tourbillon regulator, both of which he patented – he did, however, improve many inventions of other watchmakers, which would otherwise have soon become obsolete. One example is his modification of the automatic winding system developed by Abraham-Louis Perrelet and patented by Louis Recordon, which optimised its performance. The same is true of the lever escapement, invented in England by Thomas Mudge, and still in use today. It could never have come into widespread use without Breguet’s modification, which consisted in adding draw to the pallets, thus preventing contact between the lever and the rest of the mechanism, and allowing the balance to freely oscillate between the resting and impulse stages.
Most importantly, Breguet created a distinctive style that greatly influenced modern-day watches. It was he who made the best use of the calibre invented by Jean Antoine Lépine, in which the upper movement plate is replaced by bars onto which the elements of the gear train are secured, making the movement more accessible and allowing its elements to be separately disassembled. It also resulted in much slimmer watches. Breguet also considerably simplified the mechanisms of quarter, half-quarter, and minute repeaters.
Breguet’s souscription watch, designed and finalised while he was in Switzerland, arguably made him the father of functional aesthetics, perhaps better known today as “industrial design”. The elements of the movement are symmetrically arranged around the barrel, each one secured on a bridge and thus able to be individually disassembled. The mid-portion of the case is made up of a simple metal band, while the case back and glass on either side are set into grooves, and the pendant consists of a ring sliding within a small metal sphere. The only ornamentation is the grain d’orge engine-turning, while further decorative effect may be created by the contrast between silver and gold.  The dials, generally of white enamel, are remarkable for their elegant simplicity, with characteristic hour numerals and divisions allowing time to be read to the minute, by means of a single hand whose narrow extremity indicates both hours and minutes.
Breguet was also what we today would call a marketing genius, his sales tactics earning him enough money to reopen his workshop when he returned to France after the Revolution. They also set him apart from other watchmakers and helped him attract a distinguished and wealthy clientele. However, due no doubt to their high cost, his perpétuelles and sympathetic clocks and watches never achieved great commercial success. They did however help Breguet win an international reputation as King of Watchmakers and Watchmaker to Kings.