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Breguet
Swiss • b. 1775
Biography
Established in 1775 by Abraham Louis Breguet, widely considered the greatest watchmaker of all time, the storied brand continues to thrive in the modern era, creating exceptional high-end watches as the Swatch Group's premier prestige brand. Some of the most important and lasting inventions in watchmaking are attributed to Abraham Louis Breguet, including the tourbillon, shock resistance and the use of hammers and gongs employed in nearly all minute repeating watches made since.
Eighteenth and nineteenth century Breguet pocketwatches are especially sought-after by collectors, and many of them were made for the elite of European society, including Napoléon and Marie Antoinette. Key wristwatches from the twentieth century include oversized dress watches, two-register chronographs, triple calendars and Type XX aviator's chronographs made for the French military and civilians.
Insights
Abraham Louis Breguet also revolutionized the styling and aesthetics of watches of the late eighteenth century, creating, for example, his own numeral typography — known as Breguet numerals — still used by many watchmaking brands today.
Since 2000, Breguet has a dedicated museum located at Place Vendôme in Paris with over 80 historic Breguet timepieces on display.
Breguet's descendants inherited their patriarch's technical genius. His fourth-generation descendant, Louis Charles Breguet, founded Breguet Aviation, which would later become Dassault Aviation.
"Some of the most important and lasting inventions in watchmaking are attributed to Abraham Louis Breguet."