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1775
-
1801

Abraham-Louis
Breguet
left
his
native
Neuchâtel
in
his
teens
to
complete
his
apprenticeship
as
a
watchmaker
in
Versailles
and
Paris.
In
1775,
he
opened
his
own
workshop
in
the
Île
de
la
Cité
in
Paris.
Thanks
to
Abbé
Marie,
who
took
him
under
his
wing,
he
was
introduced
to
the
French
court,
whose
members
soon
became
part
of
his
clientele.
Forced
to
leave
France
during
the
dark
days
of
the
Revolution,
he
returned
in
1795
to
continue
his
work,
with
many
projects
in
mind.
The
early
years
of
this
brilliant
watchmaker
were
marked
by
inventions
that
still
benefit
the
entire
watchmaking
industry
today.

1775

Opening
of
Abraham-Louis
Breguet's
workshop
in
Paris

A.-L.
Breguet,
born
in
Neuchâtel
in
1747,
set
up
his
own
business
on
the
Quai
de
l'Horloge,
Île
de
la
Cité
in
Paris.
He
had
recently
married
and
moved
into
a
building
overlooking
Quai
de
l'Horloge
on
one
side
and
Place
Dauphine
on
the
other.
He
became
the
owner
at
the
end
of
the
Revolution
and
passed
it
on
to
his
heirs.

quai de l'horloge breguet
marie-antoinette-bg
1783

Order
for
watch
N°160,
known
as
the
“Marie-Antoinette”
watch

One
of
the
Queen's
guards
ordered
a
watch
incorporating
all
the
complications
and
improvements
known
at
the
time.

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breguet suisse 18e
1793

A.-L.
Breguet
returns
to
Switzerland
during
the
French
Revolution

The
watchmaker
took
refuge
in
his
native
country
until
1795,
and
despite
the
distance,
he
managed
to
run
what
remained
of
his
workshop. 

1796

Sale
of
the
first
subscription
watch

Sold
on
a
subscription
basis
-
a
quarter
of
the
price
is
paid
when
the
order
is
placed
-
this
creation
is
distinguished
in
particular
by
its
single
hand. 

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BREGUET-N°246
napoleon
1798

Purchase
of
three
timepieces
by
Napoleon
before
his
Egypt
campaign

One
of
Breguet's
most
famous
customers,
Napoleon
Bonaparte
bought
a
repeater
watch,
a
travel
clock
and
a
perpetual
watch
that
year.

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1799

Sale
of
the
first
“tact
watch”

This
watch
can
be
read
by
touch.
An
arrow
on
the
outside
of
the
case
reproduces
the
position
of
the
hour
hand.
After
“feeling”
the
position
of
the
arrow,
the
wearer
can
find
their
bearings
thanks
to
markers
located
directly
above
the
hours.

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BREGUET-N°611

Inventions in this period

BREGUET N°1-8-82_MOUVEMENT
1780

Appearance of the first automatic watches

Aiguilles-Breguet
1783

Invention of the gong-spring and creation of the Breguet hands and numerals

Breguet no 168
1786

Appearance of guilloché in watchmaking

Breguet inventeur du parechute
1790

Invention of the “pare-chute” shock absorber

Balance spring-breguet
1795

Invention of the “Breguet balance-spring”

Breguet N 666
1798

Presentation of the first “sympathique clock”

1801
-
1823

A.-L.
Breguet
discovered
a
changed
France
when
he
returned
to
Paris
at
the
end
of
the
Revolution.
Nevertheless,
he
managed
to
continue
developing
his
foreign
clientele
and
created
a
truly
international
distribution
network
that
extended
as
far
as
Russia
and
Turkey.
His
clientele
included
some
of
Europe's
most
prominent
figures.
He
continued
his
career
with
a
number
of
prestigious
inventions,
including
the
Tourbillon.
This
extraordinary
career
earned
him
several
distinctions,
such
as
member
of
the
Bureau
des
Longitudes,
Watchmaker
to
the
French
Royal
Navy,
member
of
the
French
Academy
of
Sciences
and
Knight
of
the
Legion
of
Honour.
He
died
in
1823
at
the
age
of
76.

Breguet Selim 3
1804

First
purchase
of
Selim
III

Ali
Effendi,
then
Minister
for
the
Navy,
commissioned
the
finest
possible
repeating
watch
for
the
Ottoman
Emperor,
Selim
III.

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Breguet caroline Murat Reine de Naples
1808

First
purchase
by
Caroline
Murat,
Queen
of
Naples

With
34
clocks
and
watches
purchased
between
1808
and
1814,
Caroline
Murat,
Napoleon's
youngest
sister,
became
A.-L.
Breguet's
most
important
customer.
This
special
relationship
led
to
the
creation
of
the
first
watch
designed
specifically
to
be
worn
on
the
wrist.

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Tsar-alexandre-1
1809

Purchase
of
a
“sympathique
clock”
by
the
Tsar
of
Russia,
Alexander
I

He
appreciated
Breguet's
creations
and
encouraged
their
sale
in
Russia.
He
also
ordered
a
series
of
pedometers
to
measure
the
marching
pace
of
his
troops. 

View more
1815

Appointment
of
A.-L.
Breguet
as
Watchmaker
to
the
French
Royal
Navy

After
his
appointment
to
the
Bureau
des
Longitudes
in
Paris
in
1814,
A.-L.
Breguet
was
given
the
official
title
of
Watchmaker
to
the
French
Royal
Navy
by
Louis
XVIII.
This
was
the
most
prestigious
title
a
watchmaker
could
receive,
since
the
very
notion
of
marine
watchmaking
implied
scientific
knowledge.

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breguet marine royale
1823

Death
of
A.-L.
Breguet

A.-L.
Breguet
died
during
the
night
of
16
to
17
September,
aged
seventy-six
years
and
eight
months.
His
only
son
and
associate,
Antoine-Louis
Breguet,
born
in
1776,
took
over
the
management
of
the
company
and
continued
his
father's
work.

Breguet mort 1823

Inventions in this period

Breguet Tourbillon brevet
1801

Patent granted for a completely new type of regulator called the "Tourbillon"

Breguet n2639
1810

Order for the first watch designed to be worn on the wrist

Breguet Off-center-dials
1812

Introduction of off-centre dials

BREGUET N°4009
1820

Invention of the "chronomètre à doubles secondes"

Writers in this period

Breguet Stendhal
1817

Stendhal, author of “Rome, Naples and Florence”

1823
-
1870

Antoine-Louis
Breguet,
the
founder's
only
son,
took
over
the
company
following
his
father's
death.
He
had
been
immersed
in
watchmaking
from
an
early
age
and
continued
the
family
business
until
1833,
when
his
own
son,
Louis-Clément,
took
over.
With
his
passion
for
the
uses
of
electricity,
he
also
injected
a
new
dynamism
into
the
company,
understanding
that
watchmaking
was
now
aimed
at
a
wider
audience.
This
marked
the
start
of
mass
production. 

1833

The
company
is
taken
over
by
the
founder's
grandson,
Louis-Clément
Breguet

His
passion
for
electricity
made
him
one
of
Europe's
leading
specialists
in
the
field,
to
the
detriment
of
traditional
watchmaking,
which
he
gradually
lost
interest
in.

Louis-Clément-Breguet
queen victoria
1838

Purchase
by
Queen
Victoria

The
young
Queen
purchased
a
small
watch
with
an
off-centre
dial
wound
by
a
knurled
button.

View more
rossini
1843

Servicing
of
Gioachino
Rossini's
watch

The
great
composer
owned
a
simple
date
watch
that
his
wife
continued
to
maintain
after
his
death.

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1843

Appointment
of
Louis-Clément
Breguet
to
the
Bureau
des
Longitudes

bureau des longitudes

Inventions in this period

BREGUET N°4288 MOUVEMENT Pare-chute
1830

First watch with keyless winding mechanism

breguet thermometrograph
1840

Invention of the “hourly thermometrograph”

Writers in this period

Alexandre Pouchkine Breguet
1825

Alexandre Pouchkine, author of « Eugen Onegin »

Prosper Mérimée Breguet
1830

Prosper Mérimée, author of “Lettres d'Espagne”

Honoré de Balzac Breguet
1833

Honoré de Balzac, author of “Eugénie Grandet”

Dumas Breguet
1844

Alexandre Dumas, author of “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo”

William Makepeace Thackeray Breguet
1847

William Makepeace Thackeray, author of “La Foire aux Vanités”

Henry Murger
1848

Henry Murger, author of “Scènes de la vie de bohème”

1870
-
1970

A.-L.
Breguet's
descendants
gradually
lost
interest
in
watchmaking
in
favour
of
other
sectors
such
as
electricity,
scientific
instruments
and,
later,
aviation.
In
1870,
Louis-Clément
Breguet,
representing
the
third
generation,
sold
the
watchmaking
branch
of
the
company
to
his
workshop
manager
Edward
Brown.
The
Brown
family,
aware
of
the
historical
importance
of
Breguet
and
the
heritage
it
represents,
continued
to
run
the
company
for
a
century.
With
great
perseverance,
they
consistently
maintained
the
brand's
activity
and
traditions,
despite
numerous
difficulties,
crises
and
world
wars. 

1870

Sale
of
the
watchmaking
company
to
Edward
Brown,
workshop
manager

Almost
a
century
after
it
was
founded,
the
watchmaking
company
left
the
Breguet
family
and
its
birthplace
on
the
Quai
de
l'Horloge.
Another
family,
the
Browns,
would
take
over
for
exactly
one
hundred
years.
Three
generations
and
four
owner-managers
succeeded
one
another.

breguet brown
Duke of Marlborough
1890

Purchase
of
a
watch
by
the
Duke
of
Marlborough

Sir
Winston
Churchill's
uncle
purchased
an
exceptional
minute
repeater
chronograph
with
split-seconds,
which
later
belonged
to
his
famous
nephew.

Breguet churchil
1901

First
servicing
of
Sir
Winston
Churchill’s
watch

Throughout
his
life,
he
visited
Breguet,
either
to
make
purchases
or
to
have
the
watch
he
wore
all
his
life,
N°765,
serviced.

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Breguet rubinstein
1903

Servicing
of
Arthur
Rubinstein's
watch

The
timepiece
owned
by
the
famous
pianist
was
first
made
in
1822.
It
later
belonged
to
Prince
Scherbatoff.

View more
Breguet Ettore-Bugatti
1932

Sale
of
made-to-measure
car
watches
for
Bugatti

Ettore
Bugatti
chose
Breguet
to
produce
chronographs
with
a
tachometer
function
for
the
centre
of
the
steering
wheels
of
his
luxurious
“Royale”
automobiles.

View more
Paris vendome
1933

Opening
of
the
Place
Vendôme
Boutique

Still
a
Parisian
brand,
Breguet
moves
into
28
Place
Vendôme.
It
was
the
first
watch
brand
to
set
up
shop
on
this
iconic
square,
and
remains
there
to
this
day,
having
occupied
several
different
addresses.

Inventions in this period

Breguet Type 11
1926

Development of “special” counters for aircraft begins

Breguet 4100 Ancienne Type-XX 1954
1954

Mass production of the Type XX chronograph begins

Writers in this period

Victor Hugo Breguet
1865

Victor Hugo, author of “Les Chansons des rues et des bois”

Max Jacob Breguet
1923

Max Jacob, author of “Filibuth ou La Montre en or”

John Fowles Breguet
1968

John Fowles, author of “Sarah et le Lieutenant français”

1970
-
1999

Breguet
changed
hands
in
1970
and
for
fifteen
years
belonged
to
the
Chaumet
brothers,
heirs
to
a
prestigious
jewellery
Maison.
From
then
on,
Breguet
chose
to
devote
itself
exclusively
to
very
high-end
watchmaking,
including
watches
with
complications
that
revived
its
traditional
style.
Production
took
place
in
the
Vallée
de
Joux
in
Switzerland.
In
1987,
Breguet
was
taken
over
by
the
financial
company
Investcorp.
Favourable
economic
conditions
enabled
the
company
to
expand
into
new
markets
in
Asia
and
North
America. 

1970

Sale
of
Breguet
to
the
Parisian
jewellers
Chaumet

From
1970
onwards,
new
watches
with
complications
were
developed
and
made
available
in
several
countries
around
the
world. 

breguet-chaumet
Breguet la Vallée de Joux
1976

Opening
of
a
workshop
in
the
Vallée
de
Joux
(Switzerland)

A
Swiss
workshop
in
this
well-known
watchmaking
valley
was
opened
in
addition
to
the
one
in
Paris.
The
links
with
Breguet's
country
of
origin
had
always
been
close
since
the
company's
origins
and
were
now
considerably
strengthened.

View more
1987

Acquisition
of
Breguet
by
Investcorp

Bahrain-based
financial
company
Investcorp
acquires
Breguet.
With
a
view
to
expanding
its
production
facilities,
in
1991
it
acquired
Nouvelle
Lémania,
a
watch
manufacturer
specialising
in
top-of-the-range
movements
and
complications,
and
Valdar,
a
manufacturer
of
components.
Together
with
Breguet,
they
formed
a
small
watchmaking
group.
Nouvelle
Lémania
gradually
became
the
Breguet
Manufacture
as
it
supplied
more
and
more
finished
movements
to
Breguet.

breguet-lemania
1994

Opening
of
a
new
Manufacture
in
L'Abbaye
in
the
Vallée
de
Joux
(Switzerland)

Breguet
moves
into
a
renovated
building
equipped
for
its
specific
needs.
Today,
this
is
the
company's
head
office
and
all
production
activities
are
carried
out
from
the
Manufacture
in
L'Orient
(Switzerland). 

Breguet l'Abbaye

1999
-
Present

1999
marks
a
new
beginning
for
Breguet,
which
is
taken
over
by
the
Swatch
Group.
Under
the
impetus
of
Nicolas
G.
Hayek,
and
thanks
to
major
human
and
financial
investments,
Breguet
regained
its
glory
and
prestige.
Following
his
death
in
2010,
his
grandson
Marc
A.
Hayek
took
over
the
helm
of
this
gem
of
the
watchmaking
world.
In
2024,
Grégory
Kissling
was
appointed
CEO
of
the
Maison,
working
closely
with
Mr
Hayek,
who
is
still
President.

Nicolas Hayek
1999

Sale
of
the
Breguet
watchmaking
group
to
Swatch
Group

Breguet
becomes
the
fifteenth
Maison
to
join
Swatch
Group
under
the
leadership
of
Nicolas
G.
Hayek,
who
becomes
its
Chief
Executive
Officer.
With
a
genuine
passion
for
the
brand,
he
dedicated
the
necessary
human
and
financial
resources
to
restore
it
to
its
former
glory
and
place
it
once
again
at
the
pinnacle
of
Fine
Watchmaking.

2010

Marc
A.
Hayek
takes
over
as
CEO

Following
the
death
of
his
grandfather,
he
took
over
the
running
of
Breguet
and
has
continued
to
raise
the
company
to
the
highest
level
ever
since.

Marc A. Hayek
2011

Creation
of
Montres
Breguet
Boîtes

The
case
manufacturer
Favre
&
Perret,
which
has
long
produced
cases
for
Breguet
watches,
officially
becomes
Montres
Breguet
Boîtes
(MBB). 

Breguet MBB
2015

Expansion
of
the
L'Orient
Manufacture
in
the
Vallée
de
Joux
(Switzerland)
is
completed

After
the
acquisition
by
Swatch
Group
in
1999,
the
expansion
of
the
Manufacture
Breguet
continued
until
2015.

Breguet manufacture Orient

Inventions in this period

breguet reine de naples 8908
2002

Introduction of the Reine de Naples model including a new moon-phase mechanism

Breguet-Silicium
2006

The introduction of silicon for certain watch components

reedition-marie-antoinette
2008

Presentation of the “Marie-Antoinette” watch in a re-edition version

haute-frequence
2010

Introduction of high frequency (10Hz)

Breguet pivot magnetique
2010

Introduction of the magnetic pivot

breguet magnetic governor
2011

Introduction of the magnetic strike governor

Breguet classique chronometrie 7727
2013

First watch equipped with a magnetic pivot

Breguet classique Tourbillon 5377
2014

Unveiling of an extra-thin Tourbillon movement

Breguet-hora-Mundi-5557
2022

Announcement of an innovative dual time zone watch "Hora Mundi" in the Marine line

Breguet TypeXX 2057
2023

Launch of the new generation Type XX chronograph

Writers in this period

Patrick O'Brian Breguet
1999

Patrick O'Brian, author of “Blue at the Mizzen”

Jiro Asada Breguet
2002

Jiro Asada, author of “Tooi Tsutsuoto”