Phillips to Present F.P.Journe’s Historic Breguet Sympathique N°1 at the Geneva Watch Auction: XXI

This May, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will present one of the most historically and technically important horological creations of the 20th century: the Breguet Sympathique N°1, designed and built by François-Paul Journe in 1991.

This groundbreaking timekeeping ensemble — featuring an Empire-style master clock with yellow gold panels and a matching 18k yellow gold wristwatch tourbillon — stands as a modern tribute to one of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s most ingenious inventions. With an estimate in excess of CHF 1,000,000, this extraordinary set will be offered at the Geneva Watch Auction: XXI, taking place on 10–11 May 2025 at Hotel President, Geneva.

First conceived in 1795, Abraham-Louis Breguet’s original Pendule Sympathique was a system that allowed a paired pocket watch to be automatically wound, set, and adjusted by its accompanying clock. Only eleven were ever produced, each a mechanical marvel.

Nearly 200 years later, François-Paul Journe — then at the helm of Technique Horlogère Appliquée (THA), alongside Denis Flageollet and Dominique Mouret — was commissioned by Breguet to revisit this forgotten complication for the landmark 1991 “Art of Breguet” exhibition and auction.

The result was the Sympathique N°1. Standingat 255mm tall, with yellow gold panels and a classical architectural form designed by horological illustrator David Penney, the Sympathique N°1clock is equipped with a moon-phase, equation of time, thermometer, and full calendar (day, date, month). It is also the first and only example of Journe’s proposed twenty clocks to be crafted in gold.

The matching wristwatch —crafted in 18k yellow gold and measuring 36mm in diameter — features a tourbillon, moon-phase, and power reserve in a regulator-style layout.

When the wristwatch is docked within the clock, the Sympathique mechanism winds the watch, sets the time, and regulates its balance to match its own.

The Sympathique N°1 made its public debut during the “Art of Breguet” exhibition in 1991 and subsequent auction in Geneva on 14 April 1991, where it sold for CHF 1,546,250. It has remained within the same collection ever since.

As Breguet celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, the return of the Sympathique N°1 is a testament to Journe’s early genius and long fascination with the tourbillon and complex timekeeping systems — an obsession that would later define his eponymous brand.

Image copyright: Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo.