THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: BREGUET
MODEL: 3040BB/11/286
YEAR: 1995
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 36mm
CASE MATERIAL: 18K WHITE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
Breguet, a name synonymous with watchmaking excellence, is one of the oldest surviving and most prestigious brands in horology. Established in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the brand is renowned for its elegance (think Breguet hands and numerals) and is responsible for numerous horological innovations, such as the tourbillon.
Breguet’s early pocket watches from the 18th and 19th centuries were favoured by European royalty and prominent figures (Napoleon, for example), and remain highly sought after today. In 1970, the Chaumet brothers took over the brand following its struggles during the mid-20th century and the quartz crisis. Two years later, they hired the great Daniel Roth, and shortly after, Louis-Maurice Caillet joined the team. Together, they produced some of the most beautiful and collectable Breguet watches ever, integrating modern horological innovations with the brand’s classic designs. Although Roth left to establish his own brand in 1987 after Chaumet’s bankruptcy, many of his designs were preserved under new ownership and remain influential to this day.
The Ref. 3040 is a perfect example of this Breguet renaissance, offered by the brand from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s in several case and dial variations. The present example features a complete calendar and moonphase, an 18K white gold dial decorated with Clous-de-Paris patterns that were hand-finished using both straight-line and rose Guilloché engines, and subsequently galvanised with silver plating. It also showcases traditional fire-blued Breguet hands, gold-toned day and month indicators, a gorgeous serpentine central date hand, and a blue sapphire cabochon crown. Impressively, all these elements fit into an iconic ‘empire-style’ 18K white-gold case, yet the dial remains perfectly proportioned and undeniably elegant. The watch is powered by the ultra-thin automatic Cal. 502 QS movement (based on the Frédéric Piguet 71), hidden behind a solid 18K white-gold caseback adorned with an annular guilloché wavy decoration.
The case remains in excellent condition, with the caseback sticker still intact. It runs superbly at +8s/d, with 260 amps and 0.2 beat error. We've paired it with a lovely grey suede strap, the original being a black alligator with slight wear. The original 18k solid gold Breguet buckle is also present. Breguet confirmed to us that the watch was sold in 1995 by a retailer in the U.S.
Despite being available from Breguet for around a decade, the Ref. 3040 is very rare, especially in the white-gold variants. Our guess is that they were made in very small numbers; for instance, we found another example with a serial number just three digits away from this one that was sold over three years later in 1998. After a period of relative obscurity, Breguet is once again captivating the hearts of both new and seasoned watch enthusiasts — and deservedly so. Here at Fathom, we see many beautiful vintage watches, but this one will be particularly hard to let go of.