Breguet :: Manufacturers :: Essence of Time, Inc.

This site requires JavaScript to function properly. Please enable JavaScript in your web browser.

Essence of Time, Inc. :: Manufacturers :: Breguet

Founder: In 1747, the founder of Breguet was born, Abraham-Louis Breguet. He founded the company in 1775 in Paris. He received his funding from the dowry of his bourgeois bride. His success started when King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were astounded by his watches and purchased several of them and ever since then, the Breguet company has flourished.

Country: Paris, France.

History: The Breguet company was founded in 1775 in Paris, France. Nearly as soon as the company had started, they reached a technological breakthrough. The company created the first self-winding watch within 5 years of operation. During the French Revolution, Breguet relocated to Switzerland. When he came back to Paris in 1799, he had five new inventions, one of which was the carriage clock that was sold to Napoleon Bonaparte. Nearly every couple of years, Breguet would make breakthroughs in the field of horology and in 1812 completed the first wristwatch for the queen of Naples at the time. Due to his astounding achievements and creation of excellent timepieces for the military and navy he was awarded the Legion of Honor by Louis XVIII. 1823 was the year of Breguet's death, but his spirit of innovation would not be lost. Within 7 years of his death, the first keyless winding watch was created. From 1901 to 1930 there was little innovation from the company because of WWI. From 1939 to 1972 the company was hit by WWII and other military actions. In 1976 the company moved to Switzerland and is officially based there now. The company continued to make astounding achievements and numerous exquisite models. In 1999, Nicholas Hayek took over the company and still upholds the innovative spirit to this day. Many pieces and artifacts of the company are now in the Louvre as of 2009.

Famous Patrons: King Louis XVIII, Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, Tsar Alexander I, George Washington, Winston Churchill and Leo Tolstoy.

Timeline & Accomplishments:

•   1775 → Breguet was founded in Paris
•   1780 → The first self-winding watch was created and impressed King Louis XVI
•   1786 → Breguet created the first guilloche dial
•   1789 → The first escapement that did not use oil was created and known as the Breguet key
•   1796 → Breguet created the first single-handed watch.
•   1801 → Breguet ingenuity patented the tourbillon regulator
•   1810 → Breguet thought up and began designing the worlds first wristwatch
•   1998 → Worlds smallest self-winding chronograph movement was created in the Marine line chronographs.
•   2003 → Breguet patented the watch Le Réveil du Tsar, which featured a mechanism that could coordinate the alarm with local time