Breguet

Few individual watchmakers can rival Abraham-Louis Breguet for his key contributions to the craft of horology. One of the oldest watch brands still in existence, Breguet was founded in Paris in 1755. In those early days, Breguet pioneered many of the components that are central to watchmaking today — he invented the tourbillon, developed self-winding pocket-watches, and set the template for the modern chronograph.

Breguet’s exquisite artisanry earned him a number of royal clients, including Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1810, the Queen of Naples commissioned a bespoke bracelet watch which became the world’s first wristwatch, perhaps Breguet’s single greatest accomplishment in the history of watches. That landmark creation is honored in the brand’s current collection with the Reine de Naples series, featuring the same egg-shaped dial as the original.

Today, Breguet’s range pays homage to the founder’s legacy with exceedingly refined watches showcasing Breguet’s many inventions while incorporating the latest horological innovations. The sophisticated Classique collection features guilloché or grand-feu-enameled enameled dials and complications ranging from minute-repeaters to double-tourbillons. The Marine collection offers diving watches of equal elegance, nodding to Brequet’s history as the French Navy’s official watchmaker, and the Type XX is an evolution of the pilot’s watch Breguet created for the French Naval Aviation. With a beautifully restrained appearance that belies its complex engineering, a Breguet watch is the mark of a discerning collector.