A city jewellers has sold a watch for almost £400,000 – making it one of the most expensive sold in the UK.
But the handmade diamond and sapphire encrusted watch will not be wrapped up and given away for Christmas – it has instead been bought by a collector.
It was made by Breguet, of Switzerland, which has supplied watches to famous figures from history including Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill.
It was sold for £395,000 by family business Lumbers Jewellers, of Market Street, Leicester city centre.
Dominic Gomersall, managing director, said: "We are proud to sell such an important watch.
"The same collector purchased a Tourbillion earlier in the year at £216,000 and his collection of Breguets is quite remarkable. It is lovely to deal with a collector who understands the importance and quality of this historic brand."
The watch took two years to make and comes from a company whose brand has a historical patronage second to none.
Dating back to Napoleon and Marie Antoinette, Breguet has made watches for royalty and nobility across the world.
At the battle of Waterloo, both Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington were dependent on their Breguet timepieces.
Sir Winston Churchill was also a great advocate of the brand.
Described as a collectors' dream, its Swiss "Complication" movement is the first to have an instant-jump time zone display system that allows it to display time in two time zones at the push of a button.
The watch is encrusted with more than 20 carats of diamonds and the dial displays a map set with sapphires and more diamonds.
Lumbers is one of only four retailers chosen by the manufacturer to sell the brand within the UK.
Mr Gomersall said: "The most iconic aspect of this contemporary classic is undoubtedly its innovative instant-jump time zone mechanism, which is a true leap forward in watchmaking.
"It allows the watch to instantly alter time, date and day/night settings in two different pre-selected time zones.
"It's a bit like changing your car from forward to reverse while you're still moving forward, without damaging the engine.
"The price is reflective of its diamond setting. The same watch without the diamonds would cost £50,000.
"We were told about the watch two-and-a-half years ago and we were one of the first to have access to it to put it out to collectors.
"No other company in the world can boast the same historical provenance as Breguet."
The identity of the buyer has not been revealed.
