Souscription watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1801
This souscription pocket watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet is reported by the Science Museum Group as made in Paris circa 1801 (also noted as c.1800). The piece has a silver case with gold bezels and bow, stamped 631, bearing French hallmarks and the makers-mark of Antoine Guillemin.
Its white enamel dial displays Arabic numerals, a single blued hour hand, and is signed 'BREGUET' at the lower margin, with the source reporting a secret signature below 12. The movement is reported as signed 'Breguet No. 631' and equipped with Breguet's ruby cylinder escapement, parachute suspension, and a compensation curb.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Case
- Silver case with gold bezels and bow, stamped 631
- Date
- circa 1801
- Type
- Open-face watch
- Maker
- Abraham-Louis Breguet
- Place recorded
- France
- Case maker's mark
- Antoine Guillemin
- Hand configuration
- Single hour hand
- Movement signature
- Breguet No. 631
- Maker / attribution
- Abraham-Louis Breguet
- Museum collection number
- Clockmakers' Museum No. 1191
Design
- Visible features
- • White enamel dial with italicized Arabic hour numerals and a fine peripheral calibration track. • Single blued steel Breguet-style hand pointing roughly toward 6:30. • Signed 'BREGUET' along the bottom outer margin of the dial below 6 o'clock. • A small circular winding or setting aperture visible on the dial just above 6 o'clock. • Fine hairline cracks radiating outward across the dial surface from the center arbor. • Gold bezel and pendant bow paired with a spherical silver pendant collar.
- Case Construction
- This pocket watch is identified by the serial number 631. The case is constructed of silver with gold bezels and a gold bow. The case features French hallmarks and the maker's mark of Antoine Guillemin. The object is recorded in the Clockmakers' Museum collection under number 1191.
- Movement Specifications
- The movement is signed 'Breguet No. 631'. The technical features, including a ruby cylinder escapement, parachute suspension, and a compensation curb, are recorded by the source. The movement is not visible in the provided imagery.
- Dial and Visual Features
- The watch has a white enamel dial with a single hour hand. The dial is signed 'Breguet' around the edge and is reported to feature a secret signature below 12 o'clock. A circular aperture is visible on the dial, and hairline cracks are present, radiating from the center arbor.
Identification
- Serial number
- 631
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The movement, inner cuvette, and case back are not visible in the photograph; movement features rely entirely on source reporting.
- Research required: The secret signature reported below 12 cannot be clearly resolved in the photograph.