Tag Archives: watch history

Breguet Company History Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchatel France in 1747, as a teenager he moved to Versailles and Paris to do his apprenticeship. His first workshop opened in Ile de la Cite in Paris. Influenced by master watchmakers in Versailles he is soon introduced to French royalty including King Louis XVI. The King was keenly interested in his work and was soon impressed with Breguet’s inventions and technological ability. The King himself later commissioned ‘Perpetuelle’ the world’s first self-winding watch. During the French Revolution Breguet was exiled to England because of his Royal connections. During his exile, he also produced watches for British royalty such as King George III. He returned to Paris in 1795, and in 1807 his son Antoine-Louis Breguet joined the company and the company became Breguet et Fils (Breguet & Sons). The company remained in family hands until the English clockmaker Edward Brown took over the running of the factory, later followed by his sons until the 1970s. During the quartz crises ownership of the company changed several times and in 1990 the company became a part of the Swatch group. The list of Breguet’s most important inventions:

• Overcoil hairspring
• Gong spring (first-minute repeater)
• Self-winding movements (Perpetuelle)
• ‘Breguet’ hands
• first shock protection system (Pare-chute)
• Tourbillion
• First wristwatch (1810)

After Breguet’s death, his son and the company continued with technological advancements in the horological industry. Important Breguet Timepieces Watch number 160 ‘Marie Antoinette’ or ‘Poem in Clockwork’: Probably the most famous creation by Breguet. Commissioned by a secret admirer of the French Queen. The watch took forty years to complete. The work stopped during Breguet’s exile (1789-1795) and wasn’t completed till the 1820s, so Marie Antoinette or Abraham-Louis Breguet did not live to see the watch completed. It was eventually completed by his son Antoine. Interestingly the watch was stolen from the L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art in 1983 and wasn’t recovered till 2007 by which point the company produced a replica (this ‘only’ took four years to produce). The original watch was cased in gold and composed of 823 components. Some of the components included: Celestial time Perpetual Calendar Minute repeater Thermometer Automatic winding The Independent seconds hand and several more The cost of producing such a complicated watch was astronomically high, apparently in the region of 30000 francs. This timepiece was extraordinary then and still is today 200 years later. Saying Breguet was ahead of his time is an understatement. In my opinion, it is the most important watch in the history of watchmaking. Several other high-end complicated watches were later produced by the company (a few sold in auctions between 2000 and 2020 for several million pounds each), but none of them are as important or technologically advanced as ‘Marie Antoinette’. When the original was returned it was valued for insurance purposes at $30 million. Breguet Watches at Auction Lot 1 Breguet – a Classique watch, 34mm. Price Realised: £5,330.00 Lot 2 Breguet – a Classique watch, 31mm. Estimate: £3,500 – £4,500 Valuations Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction. The process is simple. You can fill in a form online or book an appointment to visit either of our offices in Birmingham or London. Virtual valuation appointments are also available. Find what you’re looking for Make sure you don’t miss finding that special something by signing up to our email alerts. You’ll be the first to know when catalogues become available, receive invitations to special events and preview the hottest lots from our auctions, plus much more. Why not use our free personal shopping service? Sign up for lot alerts and tell us exactly what you are looking for. Each time we upload a catalogue, we search for your keywords and email you lots matching your interests. Your personalised email will include images, lot descriptions and auction details. Richard Griza | Watch Specialist