Fresh to the market after decades in one of the world’s finest watch collections, the emergence of this superlative Breguet timepiece of British Royal provenance is an exciting moment for collectors. With original chain and key it is furthermore accompanied by an early Breguet Certificate of 1851 - an incredibly rare survival.
Constructed with several of Breguet’s greatest technical innovations, the present watch can be regarded as being amongst the finest to have been produced in the master's workshops. Indeed the Certificate notes that “…..the elegance of workmanship and beautiful composition could not be improved upon”. It affords the serious connoisseur the opportunity to obtain a completely fresh to the market example of a great horological rarity by the legendary Abraham-Louis Breguet of exceptional provenance.

This fine and technically superior watch is, as expected, of very high-grade and finish, it was sold to The Duke of York for the enormous sum of £200 pounds sterling in 1825, at a time when the annual wages of a labourer was £12 per year. The price reflected the high cost of making watches with lever escapements, a category of watches described in the archives as being “sur les principes des chronomètres" (constructed on the principles of the chronometers) to distinguish their superior qualities such as precision balance and full jewelling in addition to the lever escapement. The movement is fitted with Breguet’s final form of the lever escapement made from 1812 onwards developed for the purpose of enabling Breguet to produce a reliable watch with a close rate for everyday wear. The balance is made of a laminae of steel and a special silver/copper alloy which was apparently invented by Breguet and employed in only his best watches including the perpetuelles.

The Breguet Certificate
The first certificates of authenticity were supplied by Breguet in 1808. In that year certain clients who bought watches or clocks were given a 'bill', on which were given the name of the purchaser or agent, the date of sale or supply, a description of the piece and its full specifications. For the most part the certificates were intended for prestigious clients or for those living abroad who might be vulnerable to counterfeiters (throughout the 19th Century watches intended for Russia or Turkey were always accompanied by a certificate). After 1860 certificates were produced to accompany earlier pieces and provided to collectors on request. This authentication process is made possible by the Breguet archive.

HRH Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (1763-1827)
Prince Frederick was the second son of King George III and Queen Charlotte, and heir presumptive to his elder brother, King George IV. In February 1764, at only six months of age, Frederick was elected Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, a principality of the Holy Roman Empire, a role he held until 1803, when the bishopric was incorporated into Hanover. He was invested as a Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in 1767 and a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1771. Destined for a career in the army, Prince Frederick was sent to Hanover to study military tactics and rules of discipline, as well as languages, in 1781. He was appointed Colonel of the 2nd Horse Grenadier Guards in March 1782; promoted to Major General in November that year; and Lieutenant General in October 1784. In November 1784, Prince Frederick was created Duke of York and Albany, and a member of the Privy Council. He is remembered rather for the wisdom and compassion that he displayed as Commander-in-Chief of the forces, a position that he held from 1799 until his death (save for a brief period of resignation due to a scandal relating to his mistress, Mary Anne Clarke, between 1809 and 1811).