1936 Chronograph Stopwatch by Breguet of Paris

For sale, a 1936 chronograph stopwatch by Breguet of Paris.

Comprised of a two and a quarter inch ceramic minute dial with subsidiary 30 minute dial and blue steel hands behind an unusual convex glass. The side of the instrument has a slider marked A & M (Arrete & Marche // Start & Stop) and a reset push button to the top. The back has an incorporated flush finger key winder mechanism.

The front of the dial is simply marked to Breguet with the serial number B3556 which according to the Breguet archives was sold to the Etablissements André Debrie on the 15^th of July 1936 for the sum of 225 Francs.

The purchasing company was established in 1898 by Joseph Debrie and specialised in film equipment. In 1908 together with son Andre Bebrie, the family designed and manufactured the “Parvo” film camera which monopolised the newly burgeoning film industry. After his Father’s death in 1918, Andre Bebrie took over the company and the Debrie Super Parvo was developed in the same year as the company purchased this chronograph. It became the European standard studio camera and maintained that accolade all the way until the 1950’s. The company was family owned until the mid-sixties and was finally merged with MLC to become CTM-Debrie. It is still active today.

The manufacturer of this super precision instrument, Breguet has been producing luxury timepieces since 1775. The company was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet, a Swiss Huguenot who studied in France and set up a shop at 51 Quai de L’Horologe in Paris. The company is famed for numerous inventions throughout its history, it created the first wristwatch for Caroline Bonaparte and the world’s first self-winding watch. The company continues to exist today and its timepieces are ranked amongst the most expensive in the world.

A beautiful piece with an interesting film making provenance.