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Breguet is one of the world's top five watch brands. In Japan, Rolex and Omega are more popular than Breguet, so some people may not know about it, but it has established an unshakable position in the watch industry. This is due to the founder , Abraham-Louis Breguet. It is impossible to explain without talking about the existence of “
This time, we will introduce the many inventions and popular models in the history of watches to help you understand the appeal of Breguet. If you are interested in Breguet watches or have heard the name before but don't know much about it, please refer to this article.
What is Breguet?
Breguet is a luxury watch brand founded by Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1775. Thanks to its beautiful designs and outstanding watchmaking techniques, it was loved by European aristocrats, especially those in France, and has since developed into one of the world's top five watch brands.
In the "register" of all past customers, you can see the names of historical figures such as Marie Antoinette , Napoleon Bonaparte , the Queen of Naples , and King George IV of England .
*Source: https://www.webchronos.net/features/38996/
Marie Antoinette especially liked Breguet's watches, and in 1783 she asked them to make the best watch in the world, incorporating all the complex mechanisms, without any time or cost restrictions. This led to the creation of the legendary watch, No. 160 (Marie Antoinette), in 1827. Both Marie Antoinette, who ordered it, and Abraham-Louis Breguet, who was originally in charge of making it, had already passed away. As you can see from this story, Breguet's solid position is due not only to its popularity among aristocrats and kings, but also to the invention of watches packed with the highest level of technology.
By the way, it is said that about 70% of the mechanisms used in modern wristwatches were developed or improved by Abraham-Louis Breguet. For example, he was responsible for most of the mechanisms that are indispensable to modern wristwatches, such as the tourbillon , minute repeater , and perpetual calendar . Due to his achievements, he is praised as the "Leonardo da Vinci of the watch world" and "for advancing the history of watches by 200 years."
The appeal of Breguet
*Source: https://www.webchronos.net/news/71555/
Breguet has invented many clock mechanisms, but that is not all that makes them so appealing. Another big attraction is the way they combine high technical capabilities with modern design.
Current Breguet watches are disassembled and reconstructed based on the history and tradition of watches established by Abraham-Louis Breguet. His philosophy and ideas on watchmaking are reflected in modern watches, resulting in a watch that has a classical design but also feels somehow new.
A mechanism developed by Breguet
Among the many watch mechanisms developed and improved by Breguet, the following inventions are particularly famous.
Tourbillon
*Source: https://www.webchronos.net/news/71555/
In Abraham-Louis Breguet's lifetime, the most common portable watch was the pocket watch. Pocket watches are often carried in a pocket, so the movement is in an upright position. This causes problems such as the power of the mainspring not being transmitted accurately to the gears, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of the watch. The tourbillon was invented to solve the problem caused by this difference in position.
Tourbillon means "vortex" in French, and as the name suggests, it is a mechanism that utilizes a vortex-like rotational motion. It is a structure that houses the entire escapement, including the mainspring, anchor, escape wheel, and balance wheel, which control the accuracy of the watch, in one place and rotates at a constant rate to equalize position differences.
More than 200 years have passed since it was patented in 1801 , but it is still considered the pinnacle of watch technology and mechanisms. Today, producing a tourbillon is considered proof of the high technical and development capabilities of a top watch brand.
Perpetuel
*Source: https://museum.seiko.co.jp/knowledge/inventors_03/
The Perpétuelle is equivalent to what we now call an automatic winding mechanism. Although it is now taken for granted, it was none other than Abraham-Louis Breguet who invented a reliable and practical automatic winding mechanism.
By adding a platinum splitter to the existing automatic winding mechanism, they succeeded in improving winding efficiency. This led to the watch's popularity among the nobility as a "perpetual" watch. It could be said that this mechanism boosted Breguet's reputation.
Minute repeater
*Source: https://www.webchronos.net/mechanism/22267/
The minute repeater is a complicated mechanism that tells the time by striking a bell with a hammer built into the watch. When repeater watches were made in the 1680s , they were tuned to strike a bell inside a table clock or the back of a pocket watch with a hammer.
Abraham-Louis Breguet continued to improve the mechanism, inventing a mechanism called the "gong system" that strikes leaf springs that surround the movement. This resulted in a delicate tone and a compact size, leading to the creation of the precise minute repeater known today.
Perpetual calendar
*Source: https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/30939
With a normal calendar mechanism, the date needs to be adjusted for each month. (For example, April goes up to the 30th. Since the watch displays up to the 31st, the calendar needs to be advanced when it becomes May.) A perpetual calendar not only automatically adjusts the date, but also automatically adjusts February 29th in leap years.
Nowadays, calculations can be easily performed using a computer, but it was extremely difficult to achieve this using machines alone when this mechanism was developed in 1795. You can see just how revolutionary this technology was over 200 years ago.
design
*Source: https://www.renzu.jp/blog/reading/2546/
Abraham-Louis Breguet not only invented watch mechanisms, but also many inventions in watch exteriors and design.
Typical examples of these decorations include Breguet hands, Breguet numerals, guilloche engraving, and coin edges. These decorations are not only symbolic of the brand, but are also used by other brands.
Among them, guilloche engraving is used by many watch manufacturers because it not only looks beautiful but also solves the problem of the dial being difficult to see due to light reflection. Nowadays, some brands use machines to process the dial, but Breguet has always stuck to hand engraving by craftsmen.
Popular Breguet models
From here, we will introduce some popular models from Breguet.
"Tradition"
*Source: https://www.breguet.com/jp
"Tradition" was inspired by a pocket watch that was sold through subscription. ( *Subscription is a custom order sales method in which a customer pays a deposit beforehand, and the materials are purchased and the watch is made using that deposit.)
This model is characterized by its faithful reproduction of the structure of pocket watch movements of the time, with the barrel in the center and the center wheel and balance wheel symmetrically arranged. The dial that displays the time has been made smaller and placed off-center, allowing the mechanism to be viewed from the front. It is a model filled with the history and tradition of Breguet, featuring a wealth of mechanisms invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet, such as the "variable inertia balance wheel" and "parachute mechanism."
"Classic"
*Source: https://www.breguet.com/jp
The "Classic" model has a simple appearance and incorporates traditional Breguet elements.
It incorporates Breguet hands, Breguet numerals, a guilloche dial, coin edges, and other designs unique to Breguet, making it especially popular among enthusiastic fans and connoisseurs. Despite its simple design, it is available in a wide variety of variations, including the "Silicion," "Aura Mundi," and "Chronometrie 7727. " It is recommended for those who want a simple dress watch.
"Marine"
*Source: https://www.breguet.com/jp
"Marine" was introduced as the brand's sports line in the 1990s .
This model was created in 1815 when Louis XVIII commissioned Breguet to produce marine chronometers for the French Navy. The second generation, the Marine II, gained popularity and is now one of Breguet's most popular watches. It is a highly waterproof sports watch, but its appeal is that it exudes a dressy and elegant atmosphere.
"Type XX, XXI, XXII"
*Source: https://www.breguet.com/jp
The pilot watches "Type XX , XX I, and XX II" have their roots in models produced for the French Navy Air Service in the 1950s .
Broadly speaking, there are three types: Aeronaval, Transatlantic, and Agenda. Aeronaval is a chronograph, Transatlantic is a date display, and Agenda is a model with an alarm function. In 2004 , the size was expanded to 42mm and the Type XX I was equipped with a day / night display. In 2010 , it evolved into the Type XX II, which is 44mm in size and uses an ultra-high-beat movement with a vibration rate of 72,000 vibrations per hour. Its appeal is that it perfectly balances the tough look of a pilot's watch with the design of Breguet, such as coin edges and screw-type lugs.
summary
What did you think.
Breguet is a luxury watch brand founded by the genius watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, who is said to have invented or improved approximately 70 % of clock mechanisms. Its "innovative inventions" and "refined beauty" have earned it the love of many aristocrats and kings, and it continues to fascinate many watch fans today.
Why not try out a Breguet watch, which gives you a sense of the history and tradition of such watches?