This extraordinary discovery, features in the Sotheby’s 250 Year Anniversary Breguet auction: a previously unknown Breguet escapement with coaxially mounted escape wheels, documented in the archives as an échappement libre à double roue. I had the privilege of examining the watch for the first time this summer. As with other montres à tact using souscription-calibre movements, the escapement is not visible from the dial side; but through a small aperture near the balance, I could just discern twin escape wheels. When our watchmaker removed the movement from its case, we were astonished to find a double-impulse escapement with coaxially mounted escape wheels.

Subsequent research, carried out together with Emmanuel Breguet, revealed that this previously unknown mechanism — described in the archives as an échappement libre à double roue — was one of the most expensive escapements recorded in the firm’s books.

From the collection of a branch of the Breguet family, Breguet No. 1052 is a 20ct gold and enamel montre à tact made for one of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s most important clients, the Duc de Praslin. Dating to a highly experimental period in Breguet’s career, he sold the watch to one of his most important patrons and friends, the Duc de Praslin on 18 April 1802.

In its action, and with its two escape wheels mounted concentrically on the same arbor, one of the most remarkable aspects of the échappement libre à double roue is its similarity to the George Daniels co-axial escapement. George Daniels spent much of his life studying the work of Breguet and was enormously influenced by him. Given how closely attuned he was to Breguet’s vision and genius, it is perhaps unsurprising that he should have conceived an escapement so reminiscent of this newly discovered escapement devised by Breguet almost two centuries earlier.

Much more detail on this watch can be found in my full write-up on the Sotheby’s website, where it appears as Lot 66 in the 9th November 2025 Sotheby’s auction – you’ll find the auction  HERE