In the mid 1700s, a young man by the name of Abraham-Louis Breguet left his home Neuchâtel to assume a watchmaking apprenticeship in Paris. Several years later, he opened his eponymous workshop which would pave the way for centuries of horological evolution. Officially established in 1775, Breguet is renowned for being one of the world’s oldest watchmakers, but there’s much more to know about this fascinating Maison and its incomparably rich history.

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Royal Ties

Arguably the most notable of the Maison’s clients is France’s famous and final monarch, Marie Antoinette. In her day, the Queen was one of Breguet’s keenest admirers, owning many of the watchmaker’s pieces and advocating the marque to other heads of state and notable persons. The celebrated No 160 pocket watch (pictured left), commissioned by the Queen while she was imprisoned and known itself as the ‘Marie-Antoinette’, incorporated every refinement, complication and function known at the time. Beyond this, the Maison boasts a panoply of regal affiliations including Empress Joséphine, Napoléon Bonaparte and Tsar Alexander I of Russia.

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First Mover

A.L. Breguet is largely responsible for the momentous leap from pocket watches (abundant in the 18th century) to those that were self-winding and worn on the wrist. Breguet set out to create a watch that could wind itself (as opposed to being spring powered) without the aid of a key or any other external agency. Subsequently, the ‘perpétuelle’ or self-winding watch was born in 1801; a reliable and effective system that saw an oscillating weight respond to the wearer’s movements and ordinary gait.

 

Marine Chronographe (ref. 5527BB/Y2/BW0)

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Arabic Flair

Still used today, particularly on watches with enamel dials, Breguet numerals were some of the first of Arabic styling to be used on a timepiece. Designed by the maker himself, they first appeared before the French Revolution when they shared the dial with tiny stars to mark the minutes and stylised fleur-de-lys at five-minute intervals. By 1790 they had assumed their definitive form, the distinctive numerals demonstrating Breguet’s flair for combining function with elegance.

 

Répétition Minutes (7637BB/2Y/9ZU)

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A Woman's World

Laying claim to being the makers of the very first ladies’ wristwatch too, the Maison’s iconic Reine de Naples design — indisputably its most romantic — was originally designed for Bonaparte’s sister, and Queen of Naples, Caroline Murat. The model features the famous egg-shaped dial with numerals that appear as though elegantly stretched at one end. An ode to feminine refinement, the watch continues to enhance Breguet’s status as a Maison inspired by strong women.

 

Reine de Naples (ref. 8918BB/58/964/D00D3L)

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In Good Company

The purchase of a Breguet watch gives you the option of having your name entered in the sales records which the company has kept since the late 1800s. This time-honoured tradition adds to the centuries-old bonds between the House of Breguet and its clients. Kept in the Breguet Museum on Place Vendôme in Paris, the record books contain the names of many leading historical figures, from Queen Marie-Antoinette, the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon Bonaparte and Winston Churchill to leading contemporary personalities whose identities are held in absolute discretion.