Breguet (brand)

46°38′57″N 6°19′02″E / 46.64912°N 6.31735°E / 46.64912; 6.31735

Groupe Horloger Breguet
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryLuxury watchmaking
Founded1775; 249 years ago (1775)
FounderAbraham-Louis Breguet
Headquarters
L'Abbaye
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nicolas G. Hayek
ProductsTourbillon, watches, clocks, jewelry
ParentThe Swatch Group
Websitebreguet.ch

Breguet is a Swiss luxury watch, clock and jewelry manufacturer founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris in 1775.[1] Headquartered in L'Abbaye, Switzerland, Breguet is one of the oldest surviving watchmaking brands and a pioneer of numerous watchmaking technologies such as the tourbillon, which was developed into a practical solution by Abraham Breguet in 1801.[2] Abraham Breguet also invented and produced the world's first self-winding watch (the Perpétuelle) in 1780, as well as the world's first wristwatch in 1810 (the Breguet No.2639, for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples).[3][4][5]

Breguet is a highly regarded watch manufacturer.[1][6][7][8][9] Over the years, notable Breguet patrons and timepiece owners include Emperor of the French Napoléon Bonaparte, King George III, Queen Victoria, Alexandre I of Russia, Ettore Bugatti, Sir Winston Churchill, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Gioachino Rossini, Arthur Rubinstein and so on.[10][11][12] The Breguet & Fils, Paris No. 2667 (1814) pocket watch is among the most expensive watches sold at auction, fetching US$4.69 million (CHF 4,339,000) in Geneva in May 2012.[13][14] The Breguet Sympathique Clock No.128 & 5009 (Duc d'Orléans Breguet Sympathique), is currently the most expensive Breguet timepiece ever sold at auction, fetching US$6.8 million in New York in December 2012.[15][16][17]

Since 1999, it has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group.[18]

  1. ^ a b "Brand - Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie". www.hautehorlogerie.org. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Tourbillon | Breguet". www.breguet.com. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Abraham-Louis Breguet | Timepiece Luminaries | THE SEIKO MUSEUM". museum.seiko.co.jp. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Self-winding | Breguet". www.breguet.com. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  5. ^ "First wristwatch | Breguet". www.breguet.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Marking time: one watchmaker's literary tributes". The Telegraph. 14 June 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Breguet: the Expression of Being – FHH Journal". journal.hautehorlogerie.org. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  8. ^ Clymer, Benjamin (14 January 2016). "A Week On The Wrist: The Breguet Classique Chronométrie 7727". HODINKEE. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Breguet Ranked Most Prestigious Among Pentamillionaires". Luxury Insider. 6 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Distinguished Patrons (1824 - 1863) Timeline | Breguet". www.breguet.com. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Christie's - Record Price For Any Breguet Watch - Business - WorldTempus". en.worldtempus.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Important Watches". Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  15. ^ "The Duc d'Orléans Breguet Sympathique". Sotheby's. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  16. ^ DeMarco, Anthony. "Rare Breguet Clock Sells For Record $6.8 Million". Forbes. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Breguet Clock With Docking Pocket Watch Re-Sets Record For A Clock At Auction, Fetching $6.8 Million at Sotheby's New York". Hodinkee. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).