The Complete Guide to Breguet Watch Collecting

Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1747 to French parents. His father died when Breguet was young, and his stepfather came from a family of watchmakers. By the age of 15, Breguet’s stepfather took him to Paris, where he soon became an apprentice watchmaker in Versailles. After completing his apprenticeship, he worked for a decade under two acclaimed watchmakers, Ferdinand Berthoud and Jean-Antoine Lépine.

In 1775, he set up his first workshop on Île de la Cité in Paris. His mathematics teacher, Abbé Marie, soon introduced the young Breguet to the French court and royalty. Before long, his list of clients included Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI.

In 1783, what would become the most important Breguet watch, Breguet No. 160, was ordered for Queen Marie Antoinette. It was commissioned to include all features and complications known at the time, although it’s not known for sure who ordered the pocket watch. Some assume it was Swedish count Axe Von Fersen, the Queen’s reputed lover, while Breguet’s official history attributes it to the Queen’s guards. Marie Antoinette was executed in 1793 during the French Revolution and never saw the finished pocket watch – it wasn’t finished until 1827, even after Breguet’s death. Named the “Marie Antoinette,” the pocket watch remained in the Breguet brand’s possession until 1887, eventually finding its way to the collection of famous Breguet collector and expert Sir David Salomons in the 1920s.

Breguet No. 160 was one of many royal commissions. Another famous piece was the first wristwatch, designed for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples, in 1810. Today, Breguet pays tribute to this watch with its Reine de Naples collection. Given his association with the royal court, Breguet took refuge in Switzerland during most of the French Revolution. When he returned to Paris, he was brimming with ideas. During this period, Breguet invented the overcoil balance spring, the symphatique clock, with its dependent watch, and most notably, the tourbillon.

The Tourbillon (patented 1801)

Arguably Breguet’s most enduring invention, the tourbillon is designed to counter positional error by rotating the escapement. Breguet began working on the tourbillon in 1796 and filed for its patent in 1801. According to Breguet’s records, he and his staff produced just 40 tourbillons between 1796 and 1829, plus another nine pieces which were never finished, scrapped, or lost.

These original tourbillons are some of the most important pieces not just in the history of Breguet, but all of horology. The most expensive Breguet watch sold at Sotheby’s was a tourbillon commissioned by the King of England that sold for £1,575,000 in 2020.

The Perpétuelle (Automatic watches, late 1770s–1780s)

Breguet was also a pioneer in early self-winding watches. Using oscillating weights, Breguet refined existing ideas to make his Perpétuelle watches more reliable. They became popular with the aristocracy, with early adopters including Marie Antoinette.

Sympathique Clock (first presented 1795, perfected 1814)

The Sympathique was one of Breguet’s most technologically advanced inventions. It’s a table clock designed to “sympathize” with (i.e., automatically wind and set) a detachable pocket watch, underscoring Breguet’s ability not just as a watchmaker, but a technological innovator.

For all his mechanical innovations, Breguet’s impact on horology didn’t stop there. Breguet was also a forward-thinking entrepreneur. In the 1790s, he introduced the first souscription pocket watch. This was a system in which clients paid 25 percent upfront to finance production. These were simple, sturdy watches with a single hand (though later versions became more complicated), making precision timekeeping more accessible to the masses. At various times, including to celebrate its 250th anniversary this year, Breguet has released watches paying homage to these original souscription pieces. Even today, the subscription method is how many independent watchmakers, from F.P. Journe to Simon Brette, launched their own brands.

Breguet’s lasting legacy is undisputed, his aesthetic language continues to define modern watches. Guilloché dials, pomme hands (now called “Breguet hands”), welded lugs, and secret signatures have become so influential that they define classical watchmaking style.

As Breguet’s business became a success, he took on his son, Louis-Antoine as his partner, renaming the company Breguet et Fils (Breguet and Sons). When Breguet died in 1823, his son took over the firm. But Breguet’s descendants slowly lost interest in watchmaking, exploring other sectors. In 1870, Louis-Clément, the third generation of the family, sold the watchmaking side of Breguet to workshop manager Edward Brown. The Brown family owned and operated the Breguet company from 1870 until 1970.

“Under the Brown family’s ownership, the Maison Breguet continued its tradition to offer some of the finest pieces to high society,” says Colson. “It continued to adapt its aesthetic codes while remaining faithful to its origins – the Art Deco period is particularly fascinating.”

Today, pocket and wristwatches from the Brown era of Breguet are highly sought after by collectors. From the early 20th century, you can find beautiful pocket watches that stay true to the codes established by Abraham-Louis a century prior.

By the 1940s, Breguet began producing wristwatches. It produced triple calendars, chronographs, and other complicated watches, all very emblematic of the era. In keeping with tradition, Breguet wristwatches from this era typically also have their serial number printed right on the dial. Watches that have come to define this era of Breguet is the Breguet Empire and Breguet Type XX.

The crown jewel of this era is the Breguet Empire, an elegant dress watch featuring a gold case, hand guilloche dial, and the Peseux 260 – a manually-wound caliber produced in limited numbers specifically for observatory chronometry trials. It is the very best of Breguet, distilled into a 20th-century dress watch. In June 2025, Sotheby’s sold a fresh-to-market Empire for US$107,950. “The Empire is, to me, a true horological icon of the 20th century, embodying excellence in every aspect,” says Colson.

First developed in the 1950s at the request of the French military, the Breguet Type XX was a pilot’s chronograph designed for professional use. With its flyback function, rotating bezel, and robust construction, it became standard equipment for the French Air Force and Naval Aviation. While Breguet had been associated with elegant dress watches, the Type XX showed it could also make utilitarian tool watches.

After the Brown family, ownership changed hands several times during the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. Jacques and Pierre Chaumet, owners of the eponymous Parisian jeweler, acquired Breguet from the Brown family in 1970. The Chaumet brothers wanted to restore the brand to its place atop horology’s hierarchy, and set out looking for a watchmaker who could lead the effort. They landed on Daniel Roth, who had spent much of his career as a master watchmaker for Swiss brands including Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet. According to legend, Roth won the Chaumet brothers over with a two-page resume he sent in: one page detailing everything he knew, while the second page listed everything he had yet to learn. After he got the job, Roth even went back to school to further study the watchmaking and history of Breguet. The culmination of his study was a perpetual calendar pocket watch crafted in the brand’s style.

Soon, Chaumet closed the brand’s French factory and moved production to the historic Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. Roth came to lay a foundation for what collectors now recognize as the modern Breguet look. It draws on the codes established by Abraham-Louis Breguet and carried on by his descendants and the Brown family, but adapted to the wristwatch. It’s an almost neo-classical style of watchmaking defined by a few characteristics:

● Fluted coin-edge cases
● Straight lugs soldered into the case
● Engine-turned guilloche dials
● Blued pomme or “Breguet” hands

Most importantly, Roth oversaw the development of complications and calibers, reestablishing Breguet as a leading innovator. For Breguet and other brands, this era from the 1980s through the early 2000s reestablished the importance of traditional, mechanical watchmaking in Switzerland. In the past few years, collectors have come to rediscover and appreciate this era of neo-vintage watches.

There are a few key references to know from this Roth era of Breguet.

The first serially produced tourbillon wristwatch. The Ref. 3350 has an exposed cage at 6 o’clock, three-armed bridge, and guilloché dial. It is a direct homage to Abraham-Louis Breguet’s 1801 invention, and a landmark for modern horology.

Introduced in the late 1970s, the Ref. 3050 is one of Breguet’s first high complications of the modern era, combining traditional aesthetics with contemporary execution.

One of the earliest complicated models produced under Roth, the Ref. 3040 is a classic triple calendar with moonphase that established the elegant aesthetic of modern Breguet – including the “serpentine” date hand much favored by Breguet enthusiasts.

Inspired by an original Breguet pocket watch, the Ref. 3130 features a distinctive off-center moonphase display at 12 o’clock, giving the dial its asymmetrical charm. A popular reference among collectors and an excellent entry point into neo-vintage Breguet.

Roth’s work at Breguet represents one of the great neo-vintage renaissances: a forgotten name was not only revived, but redefined. The tourbillon Ref. 3350 stands as the crown jewel, but the full range of perpetual calendars, repeaters, and chronographs built under his direction set the DNA that still guides Breguet today.

In 1987, the Chaumet brothers were declared bankrupt and taken into custody for fraud. That same year, Investocrp took over Breguet (via Chaumet). Breguet continued to pursue Roth’s vision for the brand, but by 1995, the watchmaker himself had exited the company, bringing an end to an era.

The year 1999 marked a new chapter for Breguet when it was acquired by the Swatch Group and its leader, Nicholas Hayek.

Since its acquisition by the Swatch Group, Breguet has undergone a significant transformation in an effort to position itself as a leader in both traditional watchmaking and technical innovation. Like other haute horology brands, Breguet has invested in vertical integration to support the in-house production of movements, cases, and dials (most complications from the Roth era use outsourced movements as a starting point).

Breguet has leaned into its heritage, continuing to reinterpret Abraham-Louis Breguet’s inventions with evolutions of the tourbillon, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and other complications, while also pioneering new technology. It’s difficult to pick collector favorites from an era that’s still being defined and understood, but a couple of pieces that stand out include the Ref. 7727 and the Ref. 7027.

Offering groundbreaking high-frequency movement beating at 10 Hz (72,000 vph), the Classique Chronométrie features a silicon escapement and balance spring, plus magnetic pivots that stabilize the balance and reduce friction to achieve near-unprecedented accuracy of +/- 1 second per day, making it one of the most technically advanced modern watches. A 21st century embodiment of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s inventive spirit, the Ref. 7727 is proof the brand can still innovate and isn’t simply limited to rehashing its heritage.

Inspired by Abraham-Louis Breguet’s souscription movements, featuring a symmetrical, dial-side display of the barrel, gear train, and escapement. The Tradition combines historical design cues with a contemporary, openworked architecture and established Breguet’s Tradition line, blending new with old – it’s become a collector favorite as a design-forward reinterpretation of Breguet’s 18th-century principles.

“Owning a Breguet is continuing the tradition of celebrating the genius timepieces while enjoying some of the finest creations made by humankind,” says Colson. “Having a Breguet in a collection goes well beyond owning a beautiful and collectible watch, it is a part of a history that started 250 years ago and will continue after you.”

Since 1775, Breguet has embodied horological precision, craft, and elegance. Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon, souscription watches, and the legendary Marie Antoinette, setting the standard for mechanical excellence. After periods of family stewardship and dormancy, Daniel Roth’s Chaumet-era revival, beginning in the 1970s, reintroduced classical codes and complications. Since its acquisition by the Swatch Group in 1999, Breguet has fused heritage with modern complications and materials, but all in the traditional Breguet style. Across centuries, Breguet remains the benchmark for elegance and invention, spanning from 18th-century innovation to 21st-century craftsmanship. As the brand celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, it’s enduring legacy is as important as ever.