Breguet's 250th Anniversary sale confirmed the master's genius! A rare four-minute tourbillon with échappement naturel sold for CHF 1.88 Million.
Held in Geneva on November 8, 2025, Sotheby's hosted "A Celebration of Breguet’s 250th Anniversary", an auction that brought together some of the most important timepieces ever produced by the manufacture since its founding in Paris in 1775.
This event, the largest sale of Breguet timepieces in over thirty years, achieved impressive results. The success confirmed the lasting appeal of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s original work and its modern legacy.
The top lot was Lot 9, the Breguet No. 1890, an important 18-carat gold four-minute tourbillon watch with échappement naturel, state-of-wind indication, subsidiary seconds and piston activated observation seconds. It sold for CHF 1,880,000, well above its pre-sale estimate of CHF 350,000–700,000.
According to the Breguet Archives, production of watch No. 1890 began in 1804 and was completed in 1809, before being delivered to Breguet’s Russian agent Frédéric Frackmann and sold to Count Alexis Razoumoffsky for 3,240 francs.
This watch stands among Abraham-Louis Breguet’s most intellectually and mechanically ambitious creations, combining two of his greatest inventions, the four-minute régulateur à tourbillon and the exceptionally rare échappement naturel.
Of the fewer than 30 examples known to incorporate this ingenious dual-wheel escapement, No. 1890 represents one of the most complete expressions of Breguet’s experimentation, uniting chronometric precision with mechanical elegance.
The échappement naturel, conceived around 1802, was Breguet’s attempt to merge the energy efficiency of the detent escapement with the reliability of the lever system. By employing two coupled escape wheels that alternately deliver direct impulse to the balance without sliding friction or oil, the mechanism achieved remarkable smoothness and efficiency. In No. 1890, the escapement is housed within a finely constructed four-minute tourbillon carriage.
The watch even features twin seconds indications, including an observation dial whose hand can be started and stopped via a discreet piston integrated into the pendant.
Beyond its technical importance, the piece carries exceptional provenance. The dial bears not only Breguet’s secret signatures between XI and I but also an additional pantograph engraving – the name Comte Alexis de Razoumoffsky – making this the only known Breguet watch to include a non-Breguet inscription engraved with the brand’s own pantograph.
Count Razoumoffsky, a prominent Russian statesman and brother to Count André Razoumoffsky, the celebrated patron of Beethoven’s "Razumovsky" Quartets, embodied the intellectual refinement of early-nineteenth-century aristocracy.
Nearly a century and a half later, the watch entered the collection of Cecil Clutton, the eminent horological scholar and co-author (with George Daniels) of Watches. Ever meticulous, Clutton tested the piece himself, recording an extraordinary rate variation of only three seconds per day over sixteen days, a result that speaks volumes for Breguet’s enduring genius.
Another highlight was Lot 51, the Breguet No. 4548, an exceptionally fine 20-carat gold slim self-winding open-faced Perpetuelle Montre à Tact of Royal Provenance with lever escapement, date and state-of-wind indication. It realised CHF 762,000 (estimate CHF 300,000 - 800,000).
Sold on 3 July 1827 for the sum of £350 (or Fr. 7,500) to King George IV of Great Britain, one of Breguet’s most devoted patrons, the watch reflects the monarch’s passion for both innovation and refinement. Completed after Abraham-Louis Breguet’s death, it combines automatic winding, a calendar display, and a tact mechanism enabling the time to be read silently by touch, ingeniously designed for discretion and practicality.
The Perpétuelle movement, one of Breguet’s greatest innovations, employs a recessed oscillating weight and twin mainspring barrels for a stable 60-hour reserve. This late evolution of the system, developed around 1812, marked the final stage of refinement for Breguet’s self-winding architecture.
Recognised for its importance, the watch was exhibited in L’Oeuvre d’Abraham-Louis Breguet at the Musée International d’Horlogerie in 1976, alongside masterpieces such as the Marie Antoinette and the Duc de Praslin’s No. 92.
Lot 46, one of the new Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 (Ref. 2025BH/28/9W6) presented earlier this year, was also noteworthy, realizing CHF 82,550.
This contemporary model stands out for its redesigned case in Breguet gold, the radiant Grand Feu enamel dial with a single flame-blued hand, and the architecture of the new movement, the VS00 calibre crafted in gilded brass with a tone matching Breguet gold.
You can read more and see some live pictures of this model in our recent "In pictures: Breguet Classique Souscription 2025" article.
With strong bidding across all categories, the auction confirmed the strength of interest in both antique and contemporary Breguet timepieces, underlining the manufacture’s lasting contribution to the art and science of watchmaking.
For the full list of the lots that were sold at this auction, just follow the link below:
Sotheby's
9 November 2025 - Geneva
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