With Geneva’s autumn watch auctions not far off, regular followers of the salesroom scene are expecting more huge sums for pieces by the clutch of currently ‘trending’ independent watchmakers, as well as the usual big prices for sought-after models from Patek Philippe, Rolex, Cartier and so on.
While these are all predictable contenders for the post-sale ‘top 10’ lists, a new (but very old) name is – to use horse racing terminology – ‘coming up fast on the left-hand side’ in terms of interest in its wristwatches.
Considering the heritage it has, it’s remarkable that wristwatch (note ‘wrist’) from this brand name appear to have only recently landed on the radars of people other than truly scholarly collectors. We’re talking, of course, about a name that could almost be described as having been ‘hiding in plain sight’ – and it’s Breguet.
As every WorldTempus reader will know, antique Breguet pocket watches have been coveted by collectors (as opposed to the VVIP owners who originally ordered them) more or less since the death of Abraham-Louis Breguet (ALB) in 1823. One of his most celebrated masterpieces, the pocket watch commissioned as a gift for Marie Antoinette (but only completed 34 years after her beheading), was, according to some sources, first owned by her former pageboy, the Marquis de la Groye, who apparently sent it to the Breguet workshops for repairs in 1938, but it was never collected.
The Breguet family resumed ownership, after which the Marie-Antoinette, aka No.160, moved between prominent collectors – including Sir Spencer Brunton, Murray Marks and Louis Desoutter – before being bought by British barrister David Salomons in 1917 (the man who made the unappealing suggestion that ‘to carry a fine Breguet watch is to feel you have the brains of a genius in your pocket...’).
Other fans of the great man’s works included Sam Clutton, the voracious car and watch collector who entrusted the maintenance of his many Breguets to George Daniels - who not only owned his own Breguet watches but wrote seminal books about ALB’s work, which formed the foundations of his own.
Until the early 2020s, collecting even Breguet pocket watches was still considered a fairly arcane niche pursued by a scholarly few. But interest broadened dramatically in 2010 when Swatch Group (the maker’s owner since 1999) began a serious push to build a more comprehensive collection for the Breguet museum in Paris.
This included the CHF 2.1m purchase in 2010 of 354 pages of documents hand-written by Breguet and, two years later, spending a further CHF 7m to acquire the double-movement pocket watch no. 2667 and the equation of time, repeater watch no. 4111.
And at the end of the same year, the Patek Philippe museum paid $6.8m for the Breguet Duc D’Orleans ‘Sympathique’ clock for its Geneva museum.
While anyone with even a passing interest in the history of watches was fully familiar with the Breguet name, such stellar prices undoubtedly brought it to the attention of a wider audience and, albeit it gradually, Breguet wristwatches have been attracting an increasing amount of interest.
One possible reason for their relatively slow ‘maturation’ could be the slightly complex history of the Breguet name since the death of its founder.
Although the business was taken over by his son, Louis-Antoine, later descendants allowed it to dwindle as they focused on other, more lucrative ventures (ALB’s great-great-grandson was, for example, a pioneer aviator).
The business was eventually sold to the firm’s English workshop manager Edward Brown in 1870, with the Brown family retaining ownership for exactly a century, creating the first Breguet-branded wrist watches during the Art Deco period alongside pocket watches that remained instantly recognizable as being descended from those of the 19th century.
Breguet wristwatches produced during the Brown era have become increasingly sought after of late.
In 2024, Christie’s achieved a remarkable CHF1.92m for a white gold, tonneau-shaped example from 1935 that proved to be one of only four known perpetual calendar watches from the era – three of which were made by Breguet.
Adding to its appeal was the fact that it originally belonged to illustrator and designer Paul Iribe, lover of Coco Chanel.
By the 1940s, wristwatch production had ramped up and, at its Breguet 250th anniversary auction held last year, Sotheby’s offered some prime examples of the maker’s early-to mid-century models, most of which comfortably exceeded their high estimates.
Careful factory records kept during the Brown era enable many original purchasers of the watches to be identified, with one being an ultra-rare Type XX (one of two steel examples with gold bezels) that was supplied to the Société anonyme des ateliers d'aviation Louis Breguet. It sold for CHF177,800, more than double its estimate.
A superb, 1940 gold-cased wristwatch, with characteristic Breguet ‘coin edge’ and fitted with an observatory-quality Peseux 260 movement, also came close to doubling expectations when it sold for CHF53,340, while a 1960 ‘Empire’ – a high-luxury dress watch – realized CHF69,850 against a CHF55,000 high estimate.
In 1970, the Chaumet brothers acquired Breguet from the Brown family and hired Daniel Roth (then aged in his late 20s) to help restore the dial name to the top of the tree.
In his effort to do so, Roth created the ‘look’ that has become inextricably linked with the modern-day Breguet by taking key aesthetics laid down by ALB himself and adapting them to the constraints of a wristwatch – hence the continuation of signature features such as coin-edge cases, engine-turned dials, blued Breguet hands and blued screws.
Roth also rekindled the tradition of Breguet being a pioneer of complications and innovations and, almost inevitably, reintroduced the tourbillon escapement in wristwatch form.
It was launched in 1988 as the Reference 3350 Classique Tourbillon alongside other complicated models such as the Perpetual Calendar Ref 3050, the Triple Calendar Ref 3040 and the Moonphase Power reserve, Ref 3130.
Roth’s hugely important contribution to maintaining the long-established Breguet traditions of both excellence and innovation is now gaining wider appreciation, partly as a result of Louis Vuitton’s revival of the Daniel Roth dial name in 2023 shining a fresh spotlight on his genius.
And those Breguet codes that he so seamlessly succeeded in transitioning from pocket to wrist have, of course, been carried on by the brand since its acquisition by Swatch – and now many models from the early Swatch era are being recognized as quintessential examples of ‘neo-vintage’ watch making.
If this has inspired you to look to Breguet wristwatches as a possible buying opportunity, a few weeks remain before the autumn and winter auctions for you to delve more deeply into the different models potentially available.
This link will take you back to last year's Sotheby’s anniversary sale of last year: 250th Anniversary Breguet Sale by Sothersby's
For those who want to be among the first to discover which Breguet watches are set to cross the block in the coming weeks, Stefan Muser of Mannheim auction house Dr Crott has allowed us a sneak preview of this gorgeous 1989 3350 Classique Tourbillon which – believe it or not - originally retailed for £100,000 (the equivalent of more than £280,000 today).
On offer on October 31, it is the 19th example of the model produced and, according to Dr Crott’s estimate, could be yours for €30,000 - €50,000. Although we suspect bidding might be fierce.
“As part of the neo-vintage boom, very special pieces like the early Breguet tourbillon wristwatches are becoming increasingly expensive,” Muser told World Tempus.
“Overall, vintage Breguet watches sell well - but they are still in that connoisseur niche and prices are often significantly below the original cost or the pre-sale estimates.
“That has meant experienced watch enthusiasts, in particular, have been looking out for them – but we also have a new clientele which has become aware of the watches that were real status symbols of their era,” says Muser.
“It’s a situation that can readily be compared to that of the collector car market in which ‘old timers’ are now being overtaken by more modern classics.”
FAQ
Who founded Breguet?
Breguet was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the watchmaker behind masterpieces such as the pocket watch made for Marie Antoinette. He died in 1823, and his descendants ran the business until it was sold outside the family in 1870.
Who owns Breguet today?
Breguet has been owned by the Swatch Group since 1999. Since 2010, Swatch Group has invested in Breguet's heritage, including a CHF 2.1 million purchase of Abraham-Louis Breguet's handwritten documents and a further CHF 7 million on historic pocket watches.
Why are Breguet wristwatches gaining value at auction?
Breguet wristwatches, long overshadowed by the brand's famous pocket watches, are drawing rising collector interest as their history becomes better known. In 2024, Christie's sold a rare 1935 tonneau perpetual calendar Breguet wristwatch for CHF 1.92 million, far above expectations.
What is the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Ref. 3350?
The Ref. 3350 Classique Tourbillon, launched in 1988, was Breguet's first wristwatch tourbillon, created by Daniel Roth after Breguet's 1970 relaunch. A 1989 example, one of only 19 made, heads to Dr Crott's October 31 auction, estimated at €30,000-50,000.
