French 18 carat gold repeating watch with jumping hours Circa 1806

Rose gold quarter repeater by Breguet
–
An important and heavy French 18 carat gold open faced quarter repeating pocket watch with jumping hours Garde Temps, circa 1806. ¾ Plate movement, two hammers, two gongs, lever escapement, compensation balance. White enamel dial with Arabic hours, an outer minute track, eccentric subsidiary seconds and a secret signature Breguet No. 137. Engine turned case back and band. Dial signed, cuvette and movement signed and numbered. Comes with an Extract from the Archives of 1899, correspondence, the original presentation box, the original ratchet key and an 18 carat gold watch chain.
–
Diameter: 56 mm
–
Weight: 149 g
–
Signed: Breguet à Paris
–
The enclosed correspondence with the Breguet company and the certificates tell the fascinating story of this timepiece that can also be learned from the Breguet archives. Originally the watch featured a minute repeater and was sold as number 137 for 2,400 francs in the month Ventôse in year VI of the French Republic (February 24, 1798) to Monsieur Briqueville, Chef d’escadron, only to be purchased back by Breguet later. On June 2, 1806, the piece was sold – now as number 1620 – to Monsieur Bontems for 2,640 francs. Again it was repurchased by Breguet and then sold – as number 3174 – to Count Razumovsky on October 2, 1817. According to the Breguet certificate No. 2432 dating from 1899, the watch was now fitted with a quarter repeater. In spite of its rather eventful history, the watch – which has an unusual lever escapement – is in excellent condition.
–
Andrey Kirillovich Razumovsky (1752-1836) was the Ambassador from the Russian Empire to the Congress of Vienna. Andrey became HSH Prince in 1815 and settled there in the end, converting to Catholicism. It was alleged that he had a role in the murders of Gustav III of Sweden and Paul I of Russia. He was the architect of the Second Partition of Poland. He is remembered for his patronage of the arts, especially of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven both wrote the Razumovsky Quartets (Op. 59 Nos. 1, 2, and 3) for Andrey and dedicated the 5th and 6th Symphonies to him.
–
Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1747 and died in 1823 at the age of 77. At age 15, he left for Paris where he studied various disciplines, mathematics, astrology, horology, etc. He began his watchmaking career by marrying a wealthy heiress and establishing his first watch factory in Paris. He hired the most skilled and renowned horologers and master watchmakers. They realized his brilliant and innovative ideas. In 1786, he moved to London and set up a workshop where high-quality pocket watches and chronometers were manufactured. In 1789, he returned to Paris, where he remained until 1793 when he fled for political reasons. With the arrival of Louis XVIII, he became in charge of the ‘Centre Horloger de Versailles’ and was appointed ‘Horloger de la Marine’, he further entered the Academy of Sciences, and the King personally imposes on him the ‘Legion of Honour’. His innovations and improvements shocked the already existing watchmaking industry.