Breguet was founded in 1775 by Abraham Louis Breguet at the Quai de l'Horloge in Paris and is one the oldest watchmakers still in operation today. Since 1976, all the Breguet watches and clockworks are manufactured in Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
Breguet was founded in 1775 by Abraham Louis Breguet at the Quai de l'Horloge in Paris and is one the oldest watchmakers still in operation today. Since 1976, all the Breguet watches and clockworks are manufactured in Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
After his marriage, Breguet used his wifes dowry to buy his own watchmaker's shop. Breguet had studied mathematics and had worked as an apprentice in the watch business. Through his connections in the business, he came in contact with the Royal Court. Mary Antoinette, the Queen of France, became fascinated by Breguets unique self-winding watch. King Louis XVI had already purchased many watches from Breguet, but now the Queen herself ordered a watch that was to include all possible functions at that time. The timepiece included, among other things, a perpetual calendar, a chronograph, a thermometer, a power reserve, a repeater and a pare-chute (shock absorber function).
Breguet was a true pioneer in watch making and is responsible of many inventions in the watch industry. It was Breguet who invented the tourbillion function, which compensates for vertical positioning errors (gravity). Tourbillion has increased in popularity over the years and many watch manufacturers, such as Jaeger LeCoultre, include this function in their watches.
Breguet watches are easy to recognise because of their unique, elegant appearance. The watches have milled edges similar to the edges of a coin and fine engine-turning on the dial (guilloché). A genuine guilloché is engraved directly on to the dial.
