Breguet Acquires Two Record-Setting Antique Watches

May 16, 2012. Geneva, Switzerland —The Breguet Museum and its President, Marc A. Hayek, have acquired two exceptional Breguet watches that made their mark on Fine Watchmaking history, for a record price of nearly 7 million Swiss francs. Bought at a Christie's auction in Geneva on Monday, May 14^th, these masterpieces are the most expensive ever purchased in Breguet's history, and the costliest Breguet antique watches ever sold at auction to date.

Breguet Acquires Two Antique Watches for a Record Price of Nearly 7 Million Swiss Francs

The first watch, no. 2667 dating from 1814, went for the unequalled price of over 4 million Swiss francs. This thin pocket watch with two movements is based on the chronometer principle (resonance). It is an extremely rare piece made in 18-carat yellow gold, of unsurpassed delicacy and elegance. A.-L. Breguet designed it to confirm his theory that two oscillating bodies in close proximity will influence each other. This objet d'art has two separate dials, the first numbered with Arabic numerals, the second with Roman numerals. It is an extraordinary timepiece that reflects both Breguet's refined aesthetic sense and his innovative inventive genius.

The second antique piece, no. 4111, is a thin flat equation-of-time and repeater watch, built on the chronometer principle. It repeats hours, half-hours, quarter-hours, and half-quarters. This "Grande Complication" watch dates from 1827 and was purchased for more than 2.5 million Swiss francs. It has an annual calendar as well as a manual perpetual calendar, and also displays mean and apparent solar time. In pursuit of aesthetic and functional perfection, the balance wheel was especially worked so that the watch would be extremely thin, fascinating technical feats in a "Grande Complication" watch.

Montres Breguet is proud to announce the arrival of these treasures for its museums. This unique event confirms Breguet President and CEO Marc A. Hayek's commitment to preserving the Manufacture's historic and cultural legacy.

About Breguet

The world's number one luxury watchmaker

Since it was acquired by the Swatch Group in 1999, Montres Breguet has rapidly moved into the world number one position in luxury watchmaking. Its new products, the true measure of brand dynamism, and its capacity for innovation continue to be a priority. To such an extent that the creativity and ingenuity of Breguet have not run out of steam with the passage of time, but rather have grown, since the number of patents granted under the leadership of Nicolas G. Hayek exceeds the number of inventions recorded by its founder, A.-L. Breguet (1747–1823). Today the brand is continuing to reinforce its dominant role in the development of watchmaking mechanics by devoting very significant investments to research and innovation, as well as to the actual Breguet manufacturing site, which has been enlarged and expanded with new facilities and infrastructure as well as sophisticated machinery. Emphasis has also been placed on recruiting highly qualified watchmakers. A team is ceaselessly working on the design and production of new models that interpret the brand's esthetic values in a novel manner, and on completely original mechanisms that will drive the timepieces of tomorrow. At the heart of the brand's strategy lies the perfecting, through synergies with the Swatch Group, of innovative manufacturing procedures. This demonstrates its historical capacity for constantly reinventing and revolutionizing watchmaking, in order to satisfy the requirements of its extremely sophisticated clientele. It was with this objective in mind that a prestige jewelry line was launched in 2002, with resounding success. www.breguet.com

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