Well-known watch brands often started their activities from small workshops or shops. This path was chosen by the watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, who in 1775 opened a small shop in Paris. Find out how the well-known manufacturer of
wristwatches and more began.
Before starting his own business at 51 Quai de l'Horloge, Breguet spent 10 years studying watchmaking under Ferdinand Berthoudom and Jean-Antoine Lepin. The necessary support was also provided by the dowry inherited after marriage with the daughter of a prosperous bourgeois, and the connections that Breguet managed to establish during his student years. The watch shop quickly gained popularity among the French elite. During Breguet's time, famous jewelers, manufacturers of dials, watch cases and hands lived and worked in the area of rue 51 Quai de l'Horloge.
After the first five years of work, self-winding watches were created. The owner of the store achieved a noticeable progress in this direction through the use of an oscillating weight made of platinum. The first copy of a watch with automatic winding was sold to the Count of Orleans in 1780, which in many ways provided Breguet with fame and recognition in Versailles and in many royal courts of Europe.
During the French Revolution, the watchmaker moved to Switzerland. However, the difficult conditions of a new country for him did not become a reason for abandoning the work of a lifetime. At this time, a key with a ratchet for winding watch movements and a balance spring appeared, named after their creator.
Returning to France, Breguet gradually restored his workshop and began work on creating mechanisms for different types of watches. A few years later, the watchmaker patented the escapement with a constant force device, creating a sympathetic and tactile watch. From the beginning of the 1800s, the Breguet watch brand began to develop new markets. Subsequently, the company, together with Vacheron Constantin, was named the oldest manufacturer of watch movements that exist today, and the pioneer of numerous technologies.
Do you want to join the more than 200-year history of the Swiss brand? Visit
Chorology (Collecting Watches) to experience the enduring Swiss quality of rare collectibles for yourself.
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