Breguet Yellow Gold 'Coin' Watch - Sunburst Champagne Dial

Parisian manufacturer Breguet, named after its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, was founded in 1775 and is one of the most stored and historically significant manufacturers in the world of horology. With a number of firsts, including *ahem* what many consider to be the first known wristwatch, Breguet is primarily known today for its stunning silver 'guilloche' dials, innovations in complications, and outstanding build quality.

That said, you may have noticed that this isn't a watch. So whats going on?

What we have here is what is known as a 'coin watch' — a concept adopted a number of prominent brands in this era. These are generally made by using two gold coins, one for each side, with another watch case housed inside. Some were even produced with lugs and designed to be worn on a leather strap, but are the pieces like this one that almost perfectly resemble a coin that are the most interesting.

This example, of course, is a Breguet. A good start! The yellow gold case comes in at 34mm in diameter, and features 'coin edge' finishing on the profile with a 'hidden' push button to open the closure at the 3 o'clock position. Once opened, the actual timepiece becomes visible and can be tilted up on a hinge by way of a tab at the 12 o'clock position. The crown at the 1 o'clock position then becomes usable to both wind and set the timepiece. The dial within is stunning and immaculate, with a vibrant sunburst champagne surface with simple printed 'stick' indices and a matching blued-steel 'pencil' handset. Inside the watch case, the movement is an ultra-thin manually-would calibre.

On top of being an obscure piece that is not immediately associated with Breguet, this watch — an 'object' really, is a glimpse into an era when subtlety and ultra-thin watchmaking rained supreme. 

The phrase 'if you know, you know' may never be more perfectly applied to a timepiece....