French 18 carat gold lever escapement watch Circa 1815

“Montre Medaillon Excentric” with chatelaine
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An absolute rarity this “Montre Medaillon Excentric” with a gold chatelaine, a gold winding key and a Breguet certificate of authenticity, made by Breguet & Fils in Paris, France, circa 1815. The case of this watch is crafted from 18 carat gold and is engine turned on both sides. The silvered engine turned face of this watch features a decentralised dial with an outer minute and hour track with Roman hour numerals, a window for date display at 12 o’clock, a window for the power reserve indication at 2 o’clock and original Breguet hands made of gold. The numbered movement is equipped with an extremely rare experimental lever escapement with a safety device.
The box and the dial are signed and the box and case bear matching numbers.
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Diameter: 34 mm
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Signed: Breguet
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Breguet called these watches “Montre Medaillon Excentric”. In combination with a complication such as, as in this case, the date display, these watches are extremely rare.

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The item presented here was a genuine Parisian masterpiece from the late Napoleonic era (1815), which passed through the hands of top London dealer Desoutter around 1900 to be resold to a wealthy collector in a box with a compartment for a replacement glass.