Breguet

Breguet

Rare pre-reference early skeletonised Classique extra-plat

1972

Case numbered 540

33mm. diameter 5mm. ultra-thin 18ct. yellow gold case with milled coin-edge band, milled winding crown, the case back signed Breguet 540 together with a full set of Swiss 18ct gold marks

Gilt Roman chapter ring with blued steel Breguet hands

Blued steel Breguet hands

Very impressive, manual skeletonised movement with exposed spring barrel and delicate bridgework for the wheel train with all the pivots jewelled through to the centre wheel, further the ruby escape wheel pallets are also fully visible; the whole movement has been hand engraved to the front and back

leather Breguet strap with the original 18ct gold buckle

£15,500

According to Breguet's records this unusually early and very rare wristwatch by Breguet was made in 1972. It pre-dates by about 10 years the more standard Breguet skeletonized references 3030 & 3020. According to (Emmanuel) Breguet the present watch, numbered 540, was sold in London on November 29, 1972 and was made along with only ‘a few dozen' other identical pieces which were mainly sold to King Hassan II of Morocco. KING HASSAN II Prince Moulay Hassan was born on July 9, 1929 and received his education at the Rabat Imperial College and later at the University of Bordeaux. When the French authorities exiled the royal family for 2 years in 1953-55, he acted as political advisor for his father. Recognizing his political gifts, the king wanted him at his side when negotiating Morocco's independence in 1956, and later that year made him Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces. Prince Hassan was proclaimed Crown Prince in 1957, and King at his father's death in 1961. King Hassan II was an ally of the West during the years of the cold war, acting especially as an informal political channel between the Arab world and Israel, thanks to the large Moroccan-Jewish community in Israel. Economically, he opted for a free market, shaping the national economy around agriculture, tourism and phosphates mining. While the early years of his reign were marked by a somewhat conservative rule, by the 1990s the approach was much more modern, to the point of setting up a Royal Council for Human Rights. King Hassan II was a renowned and discerning collector of high-end wristwatches. His collection featured exquisite, bespoke timepieces from top tier manufactures such as Breguet, Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Gerald Genta. He died of natural causes on July 23, 1999 and was buried in the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat. The largest mosque in Morocco, featuring the highest minaret in the world, is dedicated to him. The purpose of these beautiful elegant, skeletonized watches was to showcase Breguet's brilliant horological abilities employing traditional hand-engraving and movement skeletonisation to make a watch that collectors simply cannot resist. The sheer quality of the craftsmanship is second to none. The skeletonized wristwatch strips away all unnecessary metal from the movement bridges, transforming the internal mechanics into a delicate, lace-like golden lattice. Because each component is meticulously hand-decorated, no two movements are identical. Indeed, this example has a form of ‘hatched' engraving whereas most other examples are foliate engraved, further this example has a gilt chapter ring whereas most examples of this reference have silvered chapter rings.