Important French marine chronometer in wooden box Circa 1829

Extremely rare numbered marine chronometer
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An important, extremely rare marine chronometer, made by Breguet & Fils in Paris, France, circa 1829. The open faced original numbered cylindrical screwed brass case is fitted in a high quality wooden box with slide in the lid (original 20^th century manufacture) with a gimbal suspension. The original white enamel dial has an eccentric design with a hours and minutes dial at twelve o’clock with black Roman hour numerals, a second seconds dial at six o’clock with black Arabic numerals and blued steel hands. The numbered movement has an extremely rare chronometer escapement with helical hairspring.

The dial is signed and numbered.
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Dimensions: 23 x 22 x 22 cm
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Signed: Breguet & Fils, à Paris
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The watch was part of one of the most important European chronometer collections. According to the Breguet archives the 4617 marine chronometer was sold to Monsier Ducom in 1829. The chronometer 4618 was sold in Geneva in 1992 for approximately CHF 30.000.
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Breguet & Fils
Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchatel France in 1747, as a teenager he moved to Versailles and Paris to do his apprenticeship. His first workshop opened in Ile de la Cite in Paris. Influenced by master watchmakers in Versailles he is soon introduced to French royalty including King Louis XVI. The King was keenly interested in his work and was soon impressed with Breguet’s inventions and technological ability. The King himself later commissioned ‘Perpetuelle’ the world’s first self winding watch. During the French Revolution Breguet was exiled to England because of his Royal connections. During his exile, he also produced watches for British royalty such as King George III.
He returned to Paris in 1795, and in 1807 his son Antoine-Louis Breguet joined the company and the company became Breguet et Fils (Breguet & Sons). The company remained in family hands until the English clockmaker Edward Brown took over the running of the factory, later followed by his sons until the 1970’s. During the quartz crises ownership of the company changed several times and in 1990 the company became a part of the Swatch group.