Important French gold split seconds stop watch Circa 1822

Important gold split seconds stop watch
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An important French gold split seconds stop watch sold M. Fournier no 3168 sold in 1822, gilt bar caliber lever movement, two armed steel compensation balance with blued arms and gold screws, blued steel balance spring with terminal curve and regulator, balance lock beneath cuvette, split seconds stop watch activated with clutch lever by depressing the button to the case band at one o’clock, silver engine turned dial, outer matte seconds track, eccentric dial at 6 o’clock for time, blued steel chronograph hand, gold seconds hand, the dial signed Breguet, gold engine turned case, pusher at 11 o’clock to start stop watch, pusher at one o’clock to stop, gold cuvette, dial and case signed, cuvette engraved Breguet Horloger de la Marine Royale 3168, case stamped B 3168 and T 3635 for Tavernier.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed:  Breguet
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Accompanied by Breguet Certificate number 3886, dated 1 August 1986, listing the sale to a M. Fournier on 14 January 1822, for the price of 2,800 Francs.

This watch is one of four split-second stop watches made by Breguet. These watches illustrate Breguet’s experiments with different techniques to record elapsed time with chronographs. Each of these pieces is constructed in a purely brilliant way, and all four exhibit the same bridge structure and large size. The proportions and layout of the dial, the thin and simple engine turned case, and the genius lever and clutch system utilized in the complication of this watch all demonstrate the simplicity and compilation of Breguet’s work.

“Watches of this type made by Breguet fall into three categories: inking chronographs, split-seconds stop watches, and pace-counting watches referred to as the compteur militaire.