Breitling clock, circa 1990's (Antiquorum Lot 389-20) — view 1 of 1
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Clocks · Clock

Breitling clock, circa 1990's (Antiquorum Lot 389-20)

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Breitling (brand / maker)
Date
circa 1990's
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Dimensions
70
Lot
Lot 389-20
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 20
Catalogue title (original)
BREITLING, SWITZERLAND, 8 DAY CLOCK, PVD COATED STAINLESS STEEL

View the source record (auction lot) ↗

Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 389-20), this is a clock by Breitling, made in Switzerland, dated circa 1990's. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: 70. The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.

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

Antiquorum catalogue description

EUR 850 - 1,500 / CHF 800 - 1,400 / USD 1,000 - 1,750 / JPY 152,000 - 266,000 A fine, unusual, pvd steel, manual wind 8 day going desk clock with alarm

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Caliber: 15 jewels; Signature: dial, case and movement

Provenance

Property of a Swiss gentleman

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical clocks returned as luxury and craft objects, alongside radio-controlled and designer quartz clocks. Independent makers and restorers revived traditional techniques, and museums increasingly documented industrial and electric clocks as heritage.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

Atlas type guide

Domestic clocks

A clock combines four systems: a source of power (falling weight, coiled spring, or later electricity), a gear train that divides time, an escapement and oscillator that regulate it (foliot, pendulum or balance), and an indicating system of dial and hands or a bell. Its history runs from the large iron weight-driven clocks of the late thirteenth century to Renaissance spring-driven table clocks, the pendulum revolution of 1656, the factory clocks of the nineteenth century and electric and quartz clocks of the twentieth.

Domestic clocks also reflect regional furniture and decorative traditions — English longcase and bracket clocks, French pendules, Viennese regulators, Black Forest and American shelf clocks — and therefore record changing tastes as much as technical progress.

What to look for

  • How the clock is powered: weights, spring barrel, fusee, electric coil.
  • The oscillator: foliot, short pendulum, long seconds pendulum or balance.
  • Whether it strikes: hour only (count wheel) or hours and quarters (rack striking).
  • The maker or retailer's name on dial and movement, and any factory trademarks.
  • Signs of alteration — replaced dials, converted escapements, 'married' cases.

Dating clues

  • Before 1656 clocks used foliots or balances; after, most domestic clocks have pendulums.
  • Anchor escapements spread after c. 1670; minute hands became common at the same time.
  • Factory production in America and Germany transformed prices after c. 1840.

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.

Read next:Verge escapementAnchor (recoil) escapementFoliot

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