1. Abraham-Louis Breguet was the founder of the Breguet company, which is a luxury watch division of the Swiss Swatch Group.
28 Facts About Abraham-Louis Breguet
1. 2.
Alongside his friend and contemporary John Arnold, Breguet is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest horologists of all time.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchatel to Jonas-Louis Abraham-Louis Breguet and Suzanne-Marguerite Bolle.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet's father died in 1758 when he was ten, and his formal schooling ended when he was 12.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet's mother remarried Joseph Tattet, who came from a family of watchmakers.
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The young Abraham-Louis Breguet soon "astonished" his master with his aptitude and intelligence, and to further his education he took evening classes in mathematics at the College Mazarin under Abbe Marie, who became a friend and mentor to the young watchmaker.
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Unfortunately, Marie met a tragic end, either through murder or suicide, and soon after Abraham-Louis Breguet lost both his mother and his step-father, leaving him to support himself and his younger sister.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet was allowed to marry in 1775 after finishing his apprenticeship.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet invented or developed innovative escapements, including the tourbillon, automatic winding mechanisms, and the overcoil.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet met Abraham-Louis Perrelet in Switzerland and became a Master Clockmaker in 1784.
11.
In 1787 Abraham-Louis Breguet established a partnership with Xavier Gide, which lasted until 1791.
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The Duke showed Arnold a clock made by Abraham-Louis Breguet, who was so impressed that he immediately travelled to Paris and asked Abraham-Louis Breguet to accept his son as an apprentice.
13.
In 1793 Marat discovered that Abraham-Louis Breguet was marked for the guillotine, possibly because of his friendship with Abbe Marie ; in return for his own earlier rescue, Marat arranged for a safe-pass that enabled Abraham-Louis Breguet to escape to Switzerland, from where he travelled to England.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet remained there for two years, during which time he worked for King George III.
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In 1795 Abraham-Louis Breguet returned to Paris with many ideas for innovations in watch and clock making.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet set up business again in Quai de l'Horloge and quickly established a reputation among the new wealthy classes in the Empire.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet did not staff his workshops in the traditional way, with unskilled apprentices, but instead sought out the finest available watchmakers in Paris, whom he employed to make watches to his own designs.
18.
Circa 1807 Abraham-Louis Breguet brought in his son, Antoine-Louis was born on 1776 and as a business partner, and from this point, the firm became known as Abraham-Louis Breguet et Fils.
19.
Abraham-Louis Breguet had previously sent his son to London to study with the great English chronometer maker, John Arnold, and such was the mutual friendship and respect between the two men that Arnold, in turn, sent his son, John Roger, to spend time with Abraham-Louis Breguet.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet met another watchmaker Louis Moinet, recognised his worth at once, and the two men worked closely together.
21.
Abraham-Louis Breguet became a member of the Bureau des Longitudes in 1814 and the following year gained an official appointment as chronometer-maker to the French Navy.
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Abraham-Louis Breguet entered the French Academy of Sciences in 1816 as a full member, and received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour from the hands of Louis XVIII in 1819.
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The business grew from strength to strength, and when Abraham-Louis Breguet died in 1823 it was carried on by Antoine-Louis.
24.
Abraham-Louis Breguet made three series of watches, and the highest numbering of the three reached 5120, so in all, it is estimated that the firm produced around 17,000 timepieces during Abraham-Louis Breguet's life.
25.
Abraham-Louis Breguet took refuge in Switzerland from the excesses of the French Revolution.
26.
Abraham-Louis Breguet returned to Paris overflowing with the ideas that produced the Breguet balance-spring, his first carriage clock, the sympathique clock and its dependent watch, the tact watch, and finally the tourbillon, patented in 1801.
27.
The mechanism cover bore the engraved signature of Abraham-Louis Breguet and bore the mark of Recordon, his London agent at the time.
28.
In 2009 the Louvre in Paris presented a major exhibition of Abraham-Louis Breguet's work, arranged chronologically, with 146 exhibits in eight sections that covered every phase of his career.