LOT OFFERED WITH NO RESERVE
Year: Circa 1995
Reference No: 3237
Movement No: 1039
Case No: 1104 E
Material: 18K yellow gold and lapis lazuli
Calibre: Manual, cal. 533, 21 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Leather
Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Breguet pin buckle
Accessories: Accompanied by blank Certificat d'Origin et de guarantee and Swatch Group Japan service invoice dated February 28, 2023 and service card. Furthermore accompanied by Breguet booklet, box and outer packaging.
Reference 3237 was in production for most of the 1990s, and it is without a doubt a champion of the era, interpreting it flawlessly thanks to the coin-edge case and engine-turned dial.
In fact, engine turning is one of the defining design traits of the brand, featuring a history within the company which harkens back to the very first timepieces made by Mr. A.L. Breguet himself. Thus it is not surprising to find such a decoration in this timepiece. What is instead well beyond surprising and closer to mind-blowing is the incredible additional decoration we find on the present watch.
Immediately apparent even at the most cursory glance, the minute and hour tracks are printed in silver over a solid lapis lazuli. The aesthetic impact of this detail - which comes to dominate and dictate the looks of the entire watch - cannot be overstate, as cannot be overstated the technical achievement of cutting out the lapis lazuli wafer in this very specific and unusual shape.
If looks and technical prowess boost the attractiveness of the piece, its rarity propels it above any other representative of the model. Lapis lazuli is a material hardly ever used by Breguet, which as mentioned before relies usually on engine-turning for its dial decoration, making this watch (so far the only known example in this configuration) one of the most elusive and collectible representative not only of this reference but of the entire Breguet modern production as well.