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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Breguet Classique Tiffany & Co - Roth Era, 1980

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Breguet (maker)
Date
1980
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 34 mm
Stock no.
Product 8130604007607
Credit line
Dealer listing, Huntington Company (product 8130604007607)
Catalogue title (original)
1980 Breguet Classique Tiffany & Co - Roth Era (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Huntington Company (dealer) (stock number Product 8130604007607), this is a wristwatch by Breguet, made in Switzerland, dated 1980. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 34 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Huntington Company

Breguet as a brand is very important to the history of watchmaking—specifically the man himself, Abraham-Louis Breguet. Abraham-Louis Breguet, born in 1747 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, was a renowned watchmaker and chronometer-maker who revolutionized timekeeping. He apprenticed at Versailles and later Paris, receiving instruction from Abbé Marie. In 1775, he set up his own business and married Cécile L'huillier. Breguet invented the first self-winding watches, the gong-spring for repeating watches, Breguet Hands, and Arabic numerals. He was a master in the guild of watchmakers and clockmakers and made significant contributions to the watchmaking industry. Breguet also invented the ratchet key, the pare-chute antishock device, and the 'Jump seconds' watches. He was enlisted in the Garde Nationale and completed the mechanism for Chappe's optical telegraph. He also invented the tourbillon regulator, chronograph, and the first wristwatch. Breguet was appointed Horologer to His Majesty and the Russian Imperial Navy and was appointed to the Academy of Sciences. Specifications Model: Classique Movement: Automatic Year: 1980 Contents: Pamphlet and email confirmation from Emmanuel Breguet. Case: The 34mm case is a rare size and an early example. The case does show signs of a polish. Dial: Breguet is known for spectacular guilloche dial work. The silver dial, with its guilloche and brushed finishes, is in great shape. The dial is double signed with Tiffany & Co. Strap & Buckle: The watch is a handmade strap.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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