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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Clock · Skeleton clock

Breguet et Fils / George Daniels No. 3225 pendule à trois roues skeleton clock

Partially verified

This weight-driven pendule à trois roues skeleton timepiece, numbered 3225, was completed in 1968 by George Daniels and officially registered by Breguet proprietor George Brown. Based on Breguet's historical three-wheel clock designs, the movement operates with a high-count three-wheel train powered by two chain-suspended brass-cased weights. The clock features an annular silvered principal dial displaying two twelve-hour sequences, a ten-minute sector with a three-armed pointer, and an equation of time indicator. A subsidiary dial at the base indicates the date and month in both Gregorian and French Revolutionary calendars. The entire assembly is mounted upon a veined red marble plinth.

Front view of the Breguet et Fils / George Daniels No. 3225 pendule à trois roues skeleton clock on a red marble base
Front view of the Breguet et Fils / George Daniels No. 3225 pendule à trois roues skeleton clock on a red marble base — Sotheby's. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.sothebys.com
Category
Clock · Skeleton clock
Maker / attribution
Breguet et Fils / George Daniels
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
59
Source-reported date
1968
Country
United Kingdom
Source-reported serial
3225

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Historical Context and Official Registration

Constructed in 1968 by George Daniels, this timepiece is one of only two three-wheel clocks built by Daniels after studying an original historical Breguet model in Paris. The source records that Daniels made the copy with permission from Breguet proprietor George Brown, who was sufficiently impressed to grant it official entry into the firm's ledgers under number 3225.

The arrangement mirrored historical Breguet commercial practice, wherein certification was granted in exchange for the profit margin Breguet would have realized from a direct sale. Daniels retained clock No. 3225 in his personal collection at his Riversdale residence until his death.

Evidence for this section
  • “Daniels made just two examples of the 3-wheel clock and each were entered into the Breguet records under numbers 3224 and 3225.”
  • “George Brown (the then proprietor of Breguet) for permission to measure the original with a view to making a copy.”
  • “This was agreed upon in exchange for the profit that Breguet would have achieved had they sold the timepiece, a practice that Breguet himself had engaged in.”

Dial Configuration and Calendar Work

The dial work is centered around the great wheel, which carries a 7-inch annular silvered chapter ring calibrated in two-minute divisions across two twelve-hour sequences. Mean time is referenced by fixed pointers flanking the wheel, while solar time is indicated by a variable sun pointer actuated by an equation kidney cam.

A subsidiary annual calendar dial positioned at the base completes one revolution per year and displays both the Gregorian and French Revolutionary calendars. The current date is marked across this lower register by an aligned plumb line, which simultaneously serves as a levelling tool for the timepiece.

Evidence for this section
  • “7-inch annular 2 x twelve hour silvered principal dial calibrated in two-minute intervals and applied to the great wheel”
  • “the equation indicated by a variable sun pointer, its position controlled by a kidney cam mounted behind a revolving annual Gregorian and French Revolutionary calendar dial”
  • “the individual days indicated by a plumb line”

Movement Mechanics and Frame Construction

The clock operates with a high-count three-wheel train geared for an eight-day duration and fitted with maintaining power. Drive is supplied by two brass-cased weights suspended from chains; as their top edges descend past the skeletonized front frame, they mark the days of the week, which are visibly engraved in French script along the central column.

The escapement is a pin wheel design coupled to a compound pendulum with knife-edge rear suspension. The pendulum assembly integrates gridiron temperature compensation below the bob, supplemented at the upper rod by a bi-metallic strip alongside regulation and temperature indication mechanisms.

Evidence for this section
  • “pin wheel escapement and compound pendulum with knife edge suspension at the rear and cup and pin to the front”
  • “indicating the days of the week engraved on the front frame as their top edges pass by”
  • “Days of the week engraved in French cursive script along the central upright column”

Physical Presentation and Source Limitations

The entire movement and gear train rest upon a tiered rectangular plinth of veined dark red marble. While the catalogue description specifies that the plinth is equipped with a glazed cover, this component is absent in the available cataloguing photograph.

Accompaniments documented in the auction record include original Breguet Certificate No. 3200, dated December 20, 1968, as well as a subsequent Breguet 250th anniversary certificate.

Evidence for this section
  • “the whole on a veined red marble plinth with glazed cover”
  • “Tiered rectangular plinth crafted from dark red marble with white veining”
  • “With Breguet Certificate No. 3200, dated 20th December 1968 and a Breguet 250 th anniversary certificate”

Open research questions

  • What is the current location, condition, and framing material of the glazed cover mentioned in the catalogue text but missing from the photograph?
  • How does the mechanical execution and finishing of No. 3225 compare directly to sister clock No. 3224, the only other three-wheel clock completed by Daniels?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Breguet et Fils / George Daniels No. 3225 pendule à trois roues skeleton clock
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Maker and NumberBreguet et Fils / George Daniels No. 3225“Breguet et Fils / George Daniels No. 3225 | Made in 1968”
Dimensions660 mm height overall“660mm height overall”
Principal Dial7-inch annular 2 x twelve hour silvered dial“7-inch annular 2 x twelve hour silvered principal dial calibrated in two-minute intervals and applied to the great wheel”
Calendar DisplayGregorian and French Revolutionary calendar“Gregorian & French Revolutionary annual calendar and days of the week”
BaseVeined red marble plinth“the whole on a veined red marble plinth with glazed cover”
Running Duration8 days“The clock has a three-wheel train and is geared for an 8-day running duration.”
Breguet Certificate NumberNo. 3200 dated December 20, 1968“With Breguet Certificate No. 3200, dated 20th December 1968”

Visible details

  • Frontal skeletonized brass frame with two cylindrical weights suspended from chains
  • Days of the week engraved in French cursive script along the central upright column
  • Tiered rectangular plinth crafted from dark red marble with white veining

Research qualifications

  • The glazed cover described in the catalogue is not present in the photograph.
  • The Breguet numbering and certification were granted by contemporary proprietor George Brown to Daniels' recreation rather than being produced in the historical Breguet atelier.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

A weight-driven pendule à trois roues skeleton timepiece with

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record a69aac299f

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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