From the 1780s the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, intrigued by his inventions, commissioned several timepieces and enthusiastically recommended Breguet’s skills at Versailles and to foreign guests from other European courts.

In September 1793, a few weeks before her tragic death, she requested “simple Breguet watch”. This watch survived long after the Queen who used it to count down her last hours in her prison cell. It became an historic relic to the doomed monarchy of France. It later entered the eminent collection of Sir David Salomons together with watch No. 160, a watch now known as the “Marie Antoinette” but which she never saw completed.

In 1783, an unknown admirer of the Queen’s commissioned an exceptional watch that was to include every known mechanism at the time – this became No. 160. It is believed by some historians that the Queen’s reputed lover, the Swedish Count Axel Fersen, aware of Marie Antoinette’s passion for innovative watches, commissioned the boundary pushing pocket watch as a gift. However, it took over 44 years to complete and the queen didn’t live to receive the lavish gift. Today it is known as the “Marie Antoinette” or “Grande Complication” pocket watch Number 160. The watch gained further notoriety when it was stolen in 1983 from a museum in Jerusalem, resurfacing in 2007.

Despite Breguet’s close association with the monarchy, Abraham-Louis’ pioneering inventions carried the firm through the revolution. The firm’s success continued to grow under the leadership of Abraham-Louis’s son, Louis-Antoine who became a partner in 1807 and owner in 1823. Louis-Antoine continued his father’s legacy, handing the company on to his own son upon his retirement in 1833.

From 1870-1970 ‘Breguet et Fils’ was owned and run by the Brown family of London based watchmakers. Breguet was then briefly run by Chaumet, and then was acquired by Investcorp. In 1991 Groupe Horloger Breguet (GHB) was founded with four subsidiaries: Montres Breguet SA, Breguet SA, Valdar SA and Nouvelle Lemania SA. In 1992 the manufacture of Breguet watches moved to the Nouvelle Lemania factory in Switzerland and then in 1999 manufacture transferred to L’Abbaye, Switzerland when Breguet became a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group.

In addition to the ill-fated last king and queen of France, Breguet has had a broad and glittering array of high profile patrons over its long life. King George III of England, Queen Victoria, and Alexandre I of Russia are among other Royal patrons. Napoleon Bonaparte and his sister, Caroline, Queen of Naples. Non-royal customers of Breguet watches include Ettori Bugatti, Sir Winston Churchill and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Breguet watches, both historic and contemporary have consistently created record prices at auction. In May 2012 Christie’s Geneva sold the Breguet Paris, No. 4111 for $2.75million and later that same year the Breguet Sympathique Clock No. 128 & 5009 also went under the hammer at Sotheby’s New York for $6.8million.

Style/Major Collections

‘The Perpetuelle’ was a revolutionary invention created by Abraham-Louis Breguet on the cusp of Revolution in France. They transformed watchmaking with their oscillating platinum-weight self-winding mechanisms. The first of these oscillating platinum-weight watches was bought by the forward thinking Duc Orléans.

In 1783 Breguet invented the gong spring, which would replace the bulky bells used previously in chiming pocket watches, allowing Breguet watches to become slimmer. Breguet also pioneered a new style in dials, introducing Arabic numerals, simple white enamel dials and his slender ‘Breguet hands’ with signature hollow apple tips. He embraced Guilloche decoration for its simplicity, and clear delineation of the different zones on a dial for different readings. It also offered better protection, withstanding general wear on the polished surface.

The first wristwatch (number 2639), is ascribed to the house of Breguet. It was developed as a result of a commission placed by Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples on 8th June 1810. Records from the firm describe an “oblong-shaped repeater for a wristlet sold to the Queen of Naples on 5th December 1811”. The oblong repeater watch could be worn on a bracelet and has inspired generations of watchmakers and launched a new category for portable timepieces. The ‘Reine de Naples’ collection, with elegant designs and refined details are inspired by this prestigious commission.

In 1806, Breguet unveiled the definitive version of his reinforced watch cases in the National Exhibition. The ‘Parachute’ transformed the boundaries of watchmaking, giving portable timepieces a new lease of life in an increased durability. It was a forerunner to the modern ‘shock protective mechanisms.

The extent of Breguet’s innovations to watchmaking are numberless. His legacy continues to live on, not only in the watches produced by his eponymous brand, but also within the industry itself.