Silver cased chronometer with tourbillon and
spring-detent escapement
London, England, 1774 and Paris, France, AD
1808
Tourbillon watch by Arnold and
Breguet
In spite of the troubled times caused by
England's war with France after the French Revolution
(1789-1792), Abraham-Louis Breguet managed to visit London in the
1780s. He was introduced to John Arnold, one of the leading
chronometer makers of the time. The mutual admiration which grew
between the men, two of the most inventive horologists of the time,
was demonstrated by Arnold sending his son, John Roger Arnold, to
work with Breguet. The younger man worked with Breguet at the Quai
l'Horloge, Paris for two years between 1792 and
1794.
Such was the
relationship between the Arnold and Breguet families that fourteen
years later, in 1808, Abraham-Louis Breguet sent this converted
piece to John Roger Arnold as a gift. Breguet's work is
based on an original piece by John Arnold (pocket chronometer no.
11). John Roger Arnold probably took the piece with him to Paris,
perhaps as a gift for Breguet from his father. Between 1792 and
1794, Breguet added his new revolving carriage, which he called a
tourbillon,
to the chronometer. The tourbillon constantly changed the position
of the escapement and balance to minimise timekeeping errors caused
by changes in the watch's position. The movement is housed
in an engine-turned silver drum-shaped box made by Tavernier, who
also made the engine-turned silver
dial.
To commemorate the
gift to John Roger Arnold, Breguet added a plate inscribed
'1ER
REGULATEUR A TOURBILLON DE BREGUET RÉUNI A UN DES PREMIERS OUVRAGES
D'ARNOLD. HOMMAGE DE BREGUET, A LA MÉMOIRE RÉVÉRÉE
D'ARNOLD, OFFERT A SON FILS AN 1808' - 'The
first tourbillon regulator by Breguet incorporated in one of the
first works of Arnold. Breguet's homage to the revered
memory of Arnold. Presented to his son in
1808'.
G. Daniels, The art of Breguet (London, Sotheby, Parke, Burnett, 1975)
R. Meis, Das Tourbillon: Faszination de (Munchen, Verlag Laterna magica, 1986)
A.G. Randall (revised by R. Good), Catalogue of watches in the -1 (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)