.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
One of the highly important and fascinating historic pocket watches from the OAK Collection, this masterwork by the genius watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet was sold in 1813 to the French Imperial Princess, Pauline Bonaparte, younger sister of Napoleon, First Emperor of the French. Of superb quality and with the most noble of French provenances, the present watch is an epitome of Breguet's exceptional work and a world-class highlight for the enthusiast of outstanding timepieces.
Abraham-Louis Breguet was appropriately called ‘king of watchmakers and watchmaker of kings’ and was indeed the watchmaker of choice of the most eminent noble families at the time. Habitually carefully kept and cherished in the relevant collections from one generation to the other, the public appearance of a timepiece with such exalted noble provenance is an exceptionally rare event. According to the Archives of Montres Breguet, no certificate was established for the watch at the time of its sale in 1813. Furthermore, it has never been returned to the manufacture since, its location completely unknown until its appearance at Christie’s in 2015 when it was acquired by the owner of the OAK Collection.
In impressively well-preserved original overall condition for its 202 years of age, still perfectly matching its characteristics as stated in the Certificate, this watch had been in the same family for four generations until it was consigned for sale at Christie’s in 2015. According to family tradition, it belonged to an ancestor of the previous owner, a high-ranking Officier in the "Garde Républicaine" (Republican Guard, established on 4 October 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, dissolved in 1813 and replaced by the Imperial Gendarmerie of Paris). The presence of the secret compartment once containing a portrait and the large, masculine design of the watch lead to the hypothesis that the watch may have been purposely ordered for this officer by Pauline, as a token of her affection. While regrettably not concealed in the watch any longer, one would assume that the portrait was a depiction of her.
Watch no. 2539 incorporates several of Abraham-Louis' numerous inventions, starting with the repeating mechanism which marked a turning point in the history of watchmaking. Introduced in 1783, Breguet's "ressort-timbre", a wire gong surrounding the movement which replaced the hitherto used bell, improved not only the quality of the sound but especially helped to reduce the thickness of a watch considerably. The repeating push-piece concealed in the pendant is another of Breguet's invention. Generally used after 1800, the system is both elegant and reliable. The ruby cylinder movement is fitted with a "suspension élastique", Breguet's ingenious elastic balance suspension also known as pare-chute, the ancestor of the shock-protection devices conceived to protect the pivots from blows. Other typical Breguet style elements found in this watch are the engine-turned silver dial combining two different styles, a technique he introduced around 1787. This new design enhanced not only the readability of the time but also the watches' overall aesthetics. The finely engine-turned case of large size was made in the workshops of the celebrated Jean-Louis Joly, featuring a slim bezel, another of Breguet's signature features, allowing the entire dial to be seen. Of outstandingly high quality, the case allows the hinged cover of the secret compartment to fit so well in between the outer cover and the cuvette that it remains perfectly invisible to the untrained eye. The secret portrait compartment was one of the master's few concessions to the caprices of his clientele; he however designed it in a manner as to maintain the overall purity of the watch's design.
Provenance:
A private collection and previously unknown until sold: Christie’s Geneva, Important Watches ‘Masterpieces from the workshops of Abraham-Louis Breguet’, 11 May 2015, lot 243.
Pauline Bonaparte, Princess Borghese, first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, an Imperial French Princess and the Princess consort of Sulmona and Rossano (20 October 1780 - 9 June 1825)
Née Maria Paola Buonaparte she was the sixth child of Letizia Ramolino and Carlo Buonaparte, Corsica's representative to the court of King Louis XVI of France. Her elder brother, Napoleon, was the first Emperor of France. She married Charles Leclerc, a French general, a union ended by his death in 1802. Later, she married Camillo Borghese, 6th Prince of Sulmona. Her only child, Dermide Leclerc, born from her first marriage, died in infancy.
Of all his siblings, Pauline was the most liked by Napoleon Bonaparte. A woman of great beauty and a notoriously promiscuous seductress, she was the subject of considerable scandals. She accompanied her husband, General Leclerc, on the expedition to Haiti. After Leclerc's death, Napoleon arranged her marriage (1803) to Camillo Borghese, a member of the Roman nobility, but they soon separated. Pauline, made princess of Guastalla in 1806, fell into temporary disfavour with her brother because of her hostility to Empress Marie Louise, but when Napoleon's fortune failed, Pauline, the only sibling to join him in exile on Elba, showed herself more loyal than any of his other sisters and brothers.
Pauline Bonaparte's beauty is immortalized in the famous marble statue depicting her as "Venus Victrix" (Venus the Conqueror), on permanent display at Rome's Villa Borghese. Commissioned in 1804 by her husband, Prince Camillo Borghese, it was made by the celebrated sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) who also created a number of other Bonaparte portraits. The statue of Pauline, one of his most famous works, was notable for the shocking near-nudity of its subject as well as for its elegance and artistry. Pauline is depicted as the Roman goddess of love, Venus, holding in her hand the apple which marked her as the winner in the divine beauty contest known as the Judgment of Paris.
Breguet and the Bonaparte family
The first member of the Bonaparte family to own a timepiece made by the celebrated watchmaker was General Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general on 6 May 1797 and acquired a repeating watch only a few days later, before marrying Pauline Bonaparte on 14 June. It is most likely through him that General Napoleon Bonaparte, commander of the Army of Italy, heard of the workshop at the Quai de l'Horloge in Paris. April the following year, one month before setting out on his Egyptian campaign, General Bonaparte acquired three pieces which were particularly representative of Breguet's production: a repeating watch "garde-temps with insulated escapement", no 38, a repeating and calendar travelling clock, no. 178, the first of its kind, and a "perpétuelle" repeating watch, no. 216. Between 1798 and 1801, the Bonaparte family made numerous purchases, including acquisitions made by Pauline Bonaparte, now the widow of General Leclerc, and her second husband Prince Borghese. Between 1797 and 1814, the Bonaparte family bought about a hundred timepieces from Breguet, or the equivalent of his entire annual production for the year 1798.
The scale of these purchases by the imperial family underlines the extraordinary demand for watches made by Breguet among the most powerful and influent personalities of the period (Breguet - Watchmakers since 1775 by Emmanuel Breguet, pp. 185 - 189).
Abraham-Louis Breguet was appropriately called ‘king of watchmakers and watchmaker of kings’ and was indeed the watchmaker of choice of the most eminent noble families at the time. Habitually carefully kept and cherished in the relevant collections from one generation to the other, the public appearance of a timepiece with such exalted noble provenance is an exceptionally rare event. According to the Archives of Montres Breguet, no certificate was established for the watch at the time of its sale in 1813. Furthermore, it has never been returned to the manufacture since, its location completely unknown until its appearance at Christie’s in 2015 when it was acquired by the owner of the OAK Collection.
In impressively well-preserved original overall condition for its 202 years of age, still perfectly matching its characteristics as stated in the Certificate, this watch had been in the same family for four generations until it was consigned for sale at Christie’s in 2015. According to family tradition, it belonged to an ancestor of the previous owner, a high-ranking Officier in the "Garde Républicaine" (Republican Guard, established on 4 October 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, dissolved in 1813 and replaced by the Imperial Gendarmerie of Paris). The presence of the secret compartment once containing a portrait and the large, masculine design of the watch lead to the hypothesis that the watch may have been purposely ordered for this officer by Pauline, as a token of her affection. While regrettably not concealed in the watch any longer, one would assume that the portrait was a depiction of her.
Watch no. 2539 incorporates several of Abraham-Louis' numerous inventions, starting with the repeating mechanism which marked a turning point in the history of watchmaking. Introduced in 1783, Breguet's "ressort-timbre", a wire gong surrounding the movement which replaced the hitherto used bell, improved not only the quality of the sound but especially helped to reduce the thickness of a watch considerably. The repeating push-piece concealed in the pendant is another of Breguet's invention. Generally used after 1800, the system is both elegant and reliable. The ruby cylinder movement is fitted with a "suspension élastique", Breguet's ingenious elastic balance suspension also known as pare-chute, the ancestor of the shock-protection devices conceived to protect the pivots from blows. Other typical Breguet style elements found in this watch are the engine-turned silver dial combining two different styles, a technique he introduced around 1787. This new design enhanced not only the readability of the time but also the watches' overall aesthetics. The finely engine-turned case of large size was made in the workshops of the celebrated Jean-Louis Joly, featuring a slim bezel, another of Breguet's signature features, allowing the entire dial to be seen. Of outstandingly high quality, the case allows the hinged cover of the secret compartment to fit so well in between the outer cover and the cuvette that it remains perfectly invisible to the untrained eye. The secret portrait compartment was one of the master's few concessions to the caprices of his clientele; he however designed it in a manner as to maintain the overall purity of the watch's design.
Provenance:
A private collection and previously unknown until sold: Christie’s Geneva, Important Watches ‘Masterpieces from the workshops of Abraham-Louis Breguet’, 11 May 2015, lot 243.
Pauline Bonaparte, Princess Borghese, first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, an Imperial French Princess and the Princess consort of Sulmona and Rossano (20 October 1780 - 9 June 1825)
Née Maria Paola Buonaparte she was the sixth child of Letizia Ramolino and Carlo Buonaparte, Corsica's representative to the court of King Louis XVI of France. Her elder brother, Napoleon, was the first Emperor of France. She married Charles Leclerc, a French general, a union ended by his death in 1802. Later, she married Camillo Borghese, 6th Prince of Sulmona. Her only child, Dermide Leclerc, born from her first marriage, died in infancy.
Of all his siblings, Pauline was the most liked by Napoleon Bonaparte. A woman of great beauty and a notoriously promiscuous seductress, she was the subject of considerable scandals. She accompanied her husband, General Leclerc, on the expedition to Haiti. After Leclerc's death, Napoleon arranged her marriage (1803) to Camillo Borghese, a member of the Roman nobility, but they soon separated. Pauline, made princess of Guastalla in 1806, fell into temporary disfavour with her brother because of her hostility to Empress Marie Louise, but when Napoleon's fortune failed, Pauline, the only sibling to join him in exile on Elba, showed herself more loyal than any of his other sisters and brothers.
Pauline Bonaparte's beauty is immortalized in the famous marble statue depicting her as "Venus Victrix" (Venus the Conqueror), on permanent display at Rome's Villa Borghese. Commissioned in 1804 by her husband, Prince Camillo Borghese, it was made by the celebrated sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) who also created a number of other Bonaparte portraits. The statue of Pauline, one of his most famous works, was notable for the shocking near-nudity of its subject as well as for its elegance and artistry. Pauline is depicted as the Roman goddess of love, Venus, holding in her hand the apple which marked her as the winner in the divine beauty contest known as the Judgment of Paris.
Breguet and the Bonaparte family
The first member of the Bonaparte family to own a timepiece made by the celebrated watchmaker was General Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general on 6 May 1797 and acquired a repeating watch only a few days later, before marrying Pauline Bonaparte on 14 June. It is most likely through him that General Napoleon Bonaparte, commander of the Army of Italy, heard of the workshop at the Quai de l'Horloge in Paris. April the following year, one month before setting out on his Egyptian campaign, General Bonaparte acquired three pieces which were particularly representative of Breguet's production: a repeating watch "garde-temps with insulated escapement", no 38, a repeating and calendar travelling clock, no. 178, the first of its kind, and a "perpétuelle" repeating watch, no. 216. Between 1798 and 1801, the Bonaparte family made numerous purchases, including acquisitions made by Pauline Bonaparte, now the widow of General Leclerc, and her second husband Prince Borghese. Between 1797 and 1814, the Bonaparte family bought about a hundred timepieces from Breguet, or the equivalent of his entire annual production for the year 1798.
The scale of these purchases by the imperial family underlines the extraordinary demand for watches made by Breguet among the most powerful and influent personalities of the period (Breguet - Watchmakers since 1775 by Emmanuel Breguet, pp. 185 - 189).