A few years ago, however, Dupontreue abandoned the rag trade in order to pursue a long-standing dream to create a watch company, and Breva - which launched its first watch in 2013 - is the result.

The brand’s point of difference is that all its products have a connection to the environment - which is how the Breva Genie 01 came to be the first mechanical watch to contain a fully working aneroid barometer, and the 02 the first to feature an altimeter.

Now for the final trick

But anyone with a love for things that move fast will probably find the latest Breva watch the most intriguing of all, because it contains a tiny, built-in speedometer. The Genie 03 ‘Speedmeter’, which will be launched in Geneva this weekend, is fitted with a pop-up speed-measuring device that incorporates a tiny set of Robinson Cups, as traditionally used on anemometers for measuring wind speed.

The 27-part mechanism fits flush with the dial when not in use, but activating the push piece at the two o’clock position causes it to extend six millimetres above the dial, exposing it to the air and enabling the Robinson Cups to spin and drive a needle which indicates speed in kilometres or miles per hour up to a maximum of 200kmh/125 mph.

Arm out of the window

The watch itself comprises a 45mm, titanium case containing a conventional three-hand movement with power-reserve indicator and an offset dial made from a slice of smoked, sapphire crystal.

The Breva Genie 03 is unlikely ever to take over from the traditional speedometers by firms such as Smiths or Jaeger, which many of us have in our classics - but, if you have 50,000 euros spare, it will certainly add an intriguing new element to every journey.

Photos: Breva Watches