One of the most intriguing and significant watches in Christie’s upcoming Geneva auction on November 11 is Breguet no. 3218, a tonneau-shaped wristwatch with a perpetual calendar and retrograde date sold in 1935.

In all likelihood the first wristwatch ever with these complications, no. 3218 is also notable for its provenance: the original owner was Paul Iribe, Coco Chanel’s romantic partner. The watch is going under the hammer with a low estimate of CHF100,000 – modest considering its significance.

According to Christie’s, there are only four known wristwatches with perpetual calendar and retrograde date made in the first half of the 20th century, regardless of brand, and this is one of them.

Two others were also made by Breguet, while the final example is the unique Patek Philippe ref. 96 (no. 860’182) that is the classic round Calatrava case. This watch, no. 3218, is the earliest of the four, making it likely the first-ever perpetual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date.

(Another wristwatch retrograde perpetual calendar and minute repeater is known, the Vacheron Constantin “Don Pancho” that is also tonneau-shaped.)

The 18k white gold case remains well preserved

Beyond its intrinsic features, no. 3218 is also historically interesting for its first owner. The watch was sold by Breguet in May 1935 – for a then-astronomical 10,000 francs – to Paul Iribe, a French designer who is perhaps most famous for being Coco Chanel’s lover. In September 1935, not long after he bought this watch, Iribe died suddenly at Chanel’s villa on the French Riviera.

The watch contains a decorated but unmarked movement, which was common for the period

The case is hallmarked on the inside of the back

Despite its age, no. 3218 appears to have been preserved surprisingly well, especially considering wristwatches of this period were not water resistant. Interestingly, it is fitted to a Cartier folding clasp that is noted in Breguet’s records in 1945, making it likely the clasp was sold with the watch in 1935.

Breguet no. 3218 is  accompanied by a Breguet archive extract signed by Emmanuel Breguet, the brand’s historian.

Estimated at CHF100,000-200,000, it is lot 55 in Christie’s Rare Watches sale that takes place in Geneva on November 11, 2024. For more, visit Christies.com.

Addition November 1, 2024: Including the Vacheron Constantin “Don Pancho”, the only known wristwatch with retrograde perpetual calendar and minute repeater.