French 18K gold montre à 1 Aiguille pocket watch Circa 1815

Gold open faced cylinder watch by Breguet et Fils
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A French 18 carat gold open faced montre à 1 Aiguille pocket watch, circa 1815. Originally sold to Prince Demidof of Russia. Gilt ruby cylinder movement, central going barrel, gilt three-armed balance with parachute suspension and compensation curb. White enamel dial with Arabic hours and outer minute divisions, blued steel single hand, secret signature and number below 12. Plain case by Jean Louis Joly, Harris gold marks, applied engraved Cyrillic monogram and Russian noble crown. Dial signed, case and movement signed and numbered. Comes with a fitted associated red box and copy of the Extract from the Archives.
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Diameter: 62 mm
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Signed: Breguet et Fils
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This watch was originally sold in 1817 to Monsieur Demidof, although the entry in the ledger is likely to have just said Demidof.
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Breguet worked hard to expand his business in foreign markets. He was well aware of the commercial opportunities in the vast and powerful empire of Russia and from the turn of the 19th century had started selling more significantly to Russian clients, helped initially by General Hedouville, the French ambassador to St Petersberg, his recruitment of Lazare Moreau, and eventually with the opening of his doomed Russian salon, ‘Maison de Russie’ in 1808. Initially, Breguet enjoyed great commercial success with the flamboyant salesman Moreau and a large bulk of the timepieces sold by Breguet that year were to Russian clients. However, despite the outwardly successful appearance of Moreau and the Russian firm, it quickly became clear that Moreau was less than upfront about his accounts, and embarrassingly was reprimanded by Breguet on numerous occasions. By 1810, relations between Napoleon and the Russian Tsar had entirely fragmented and French goods were prohibited from even entering Russia. Moreau liquidated whatever business he had and abandoned Russia for France, leaving all Breguet’s equipment and ledgers behind. Despite this, thanks in part to his reputation and his diplomatic contacts, Breguet’s business recovered.
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Interestingly, it has been found in these Russian ledgers that the Demidov family were one of the first and most prominent clients of Breguet in Russia, even from its very scandalous beginnings, and they remained so for many years. Prince Demidof, a well-known Francophile and Passionate patron of the arts bought no fewer than 16 watches from Breguet between 1817 and 1821, so it is very probable that this was one of his first purchases. In fact, we know that on 2nd November 1830, he bought the Breguet Sympathique No.430, together with its companion watch No. 2787, for a combined price of 31,160 Francs. The clock and watch had taken twenty-three years to complete and was one of Breguet’s most expensive pieces he made.
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This watch might also once have been described as a ‘Souscription watch’ but instead is described as a ‘Montre à 1 Aguille’. The term ‘Souscription’ refers to the fact that part payment was required in advance. This system was used by Breguet to refinance his business after his return from Switzerland. Possibly, by 1817 he was successful enough not to need to ask for a deposit so subsequent watches were referred to simply as having one hand. In any case, the wealthy Prince Demidof would certainly not have needed to pay an advance to secure his watch.