A hefty 451-page book, Breguet: Watchmakers Since 1775, serves as a guide that begins with a detailed history of the life and times of the founder Abraham-Louis Breguet to an extensive listing of the various watches ever created. This labour of love was written by Emmanuel Breguet in 1997 and was given a third update when Covid-19 forced the world to reexamine things.
Emmanuel says the lockdown gave him time to work on the archives and historical material about Breguet. In the course of more research, he discovered that the founder was not only a talented watchmaker but also a businessman — he had created a network distribution channel as early as the 1800s where more than 10 to 15 countries were receiving the Breguet timepieces. One vital piece of information Emmanuel discovered was flyers promoting the timepieces, the first type of advertising Breguet did.
The Breguet Museum in Place Vendôme, Paris
Emmanuel is the seventh generation of the founder and has a history of economics and technology and now oversees the archives stored in the Breguet Museum in Paris, Place Vendôme, and the Breguet museums in Zurich and Shanghai. His history has served him well, and he tells Options in an exclusive interview that, like any other youth, he was not sure what subjects to study at Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) University.
He remembers: “One day, I asked the teacher, what kind of subject can I do for my doctoral thesis? The teacher said, ‘your name is Breguet, and you asked me what you want to study?’.” Emmanuel adds that his teacher said it would be interesting to know more about his family. This brings us to the situation we find ourselves in today, sitting in a cafe in downtown Singapore as he tells the story of Breguet to the media and clients.
Abraham-Louis Breguet, also known as the creator of the Tourbillon, based his work on the observation that gravity is the enemy of the regularity of horological movements
History of time
The story of Abraham-Louis Breguet is as fascinating as the movement and design he produces, and it begins at 11 years old when his stepfather, a military man and watchmaker, introduced young Abraham to the world of horology. According to Breguet: Watchmakers Since 1775, Abraham was a bit of a daydreamer and not academically inclined. In 1762, he was taken away from school and sent to work with a watchmaker in Les Verrières, and his talent was allowed to shine.
The Breguet official web page states that Abraham-Louis Breguet, also known as the creator of the Tourbillon, based his work on the observation that gravity is the enemy of the regularity of horological movements, in that it provokes variations in timing adjustment with each change of position of a watch when worn.
To solve this problem of gravity that is inherent to all human activity, the maestro had the idea of installing the entire escapement (meaning the balance and spring, the lever and the escape wheel, the parts most sensitive to gravity) inside a mobile carriage that performs a complete rotation each minute. Thus, since all the flaws are regularly repeated, they are engaged in mutual compensation. Moreover, the constant change of point of contact undergone by the balance pivots in their bearings ensures enhanced lubrication.
Part of Emmanuel’s job is to oversee the archives of the Breguet Museum in Paris, Place Vendome, and through his work here, he has found old documents or timepieces that are found through the National Archives of France, in the archives of the Academy of Sciences, in some private collections, and some sold at auctions.
Whether he is finding out more about the brand, the very name Breguet carries with it some form of responsibility. He reveals that he is very honoured to have the name Breguet and is proud to work in the company even though the family is no longer involved, as the family was sold a century before Emmanuel’s birth. Breguet has since 1999 been with the Swatch Group.
When Emmanuel joined the company at 31, his first task was to read everything available about Breguet and write reference books. During his 30-year journey, he discovered more and more about the brand and its history. He says, “I continue to discover new things, especially in management, because Abraham Breguet was not one man sitting in a room with a window and some tools making watches.” Emmanuel adds that he was a businessman and an entrepreneur, and he was also a manager for organising the components of the watches and was responsible for the sales.
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Growing up Breguet
It took a while for young Emmanuel to realise the gravity of the Breguet name as he recalls growing up knowing that his family was in the aviation business. Indeed, Breguet aviation was set by Charles Breguet in 1911; the confusion to young Emanuel is understandable. “When I was a young boy Breguet in France was always related to aviation because my grandfather and my father owned an aeroplane manufacturer that was quite famous in France,” he says.
As he learned more about the family’s history, Emmanuel realised he was a member of an exciting family that included watchmaking and telecommunications. He joked that he became a historian because he was not good at mathematics and physics at school but excelled in literature and history.
At least now, his son and daughter have a clearer idea of their family name. Emmanuel’s son, who is working in a legal firm, has already shown signs of taking an interest in his father’s job. “My son is interested in history and closely follows my activities. He has asked me many questions about what I do.” Emmanuel closes the interview by talking about Breguet: Watchmakers Since 1775, stating that his target is the transmission of history through the book. To him, the book is the foundation needed to help people understand the brand.
Timeless classics
The Classique 7337 Calendar is an elegant and subtle take on a collection that has endeared itself to many watch enthusiasts. Before we get to the aesthetics of the timepieces, we should pay tribute to the engine of this timepiece.
Inside this 39 mm white or rose case beats Calibre 502, one of Breguet’s thinnest movements, is 2.4 mm thick. It may be thin, but it packs a considerable performance with its open barrel that guarantees constant energy and performance. The off-centre oscillating weight gives maximum space for the other elements that make up this movement to fit in.
This rhodium-plated self-winding movement consists of 236 components. It is equipped with a silicon balance- spring and an escapement featuring an inverted straight-line pallet lever with silicon horns. Silicon boasts multiple properties. In addition to being resistant to corrosion and wear, it is insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields and improves the precision of the timepiece. This movement, admired through the sapphire case back, highlights a skill dear to Breguet: Decoration. While the white gold oscillating weight is hand-engraved on a rose engine with a circular barleycorn pattern, the other components are graced with chamfered finishes and a Côtes de Genève motif. Finally, the balance of the new Classique Calendar 7337 oscillates at a frequency of 3 Hz and has a 45-hour power reserve.
The elegant and subtle watch is given its contemporary look through the brand’s various decorative skills are indeed present throughout the watch. Its off-centred dial is adorned with a very fine Clous de Paris hobnail guilloché pattern hand-engraved on a rose engine by the in-house artisans. The outer dial features a circular barleycorn motif. The moon phase at noon is designed to provide robust realism. The gold moon is hand-hammered, and the clouds surrounding it have been given a fine sandblasted treatment with a matt texture. Its sky is coated with a blue lacquer composed of spangles subtly revealing the stars depending on the angle from which the timepiece is viewed. The traditional blued steel open-tipped Breguet hands indicate the hours, minutes and seconds. The date and day are respectively placed at two and 10 o'clock. The windows feature a broad aperture for enhanced readability.
Available in 18K white or rose gold, this new timepiece is fitted with a strap in midnight blue for the white gold model and a mysterious brown for the rose gold version.
Classique Dame 8068
She makes a comeback most spectacularly with a bold statement that consists of a contemporary dial and a mechanism that allows us to change straps according to our moods. The timepiece offers three interchangeable straps and has been designed to allow the wearer to quickly and independently switch from one strap to another without using fiddly tools. If you want to change it, you must press the pusher under the strap, which will lift it.
The next step is to remove and replace it with one of the two other straps, each fitted with a gold buckle. All that is needed is to position the slot on the far end of the strap level with the lugs, in a 45 to 60-degree position, before clicking it into place to ensure firm fastening.
It only takes a few seconds to switch from a black satin fabric strap to a colourful alligator leather strap: teal blue and Byzantium purple for the white gold version; and peacock blue and raspberry pink for the rose gold iterations.
Initially offered with a blue sapphire, the crown is now fitted with a cabochon-cut diamond. The 30 mm case features a bezel and lugs set with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds. The mother-of-pearl dial is adorned with a beautiful guilloché pattern handcrafted by the Manufacture's artisans. Breguet's signature Arabic numerals now compose the chapter ring to bring a light visual touch. Finally, a subtle oval cartouche bearing the brand logo appears at 12 o'clock.
The Classique 8068 is run on the Calibre 537/3 and has 191 components with a platinum oscillating weight that is hand-engraved on a rose engine with a circular barleycorn pattern. The rhodium-plated self-winding movement has a 45-hour power reserve and is equipped with an in-line Swiss lever escapement and a silicon balance spring. Silicon is known to be resistant to corrosion and wear; it is insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields and improves the precision of the timepiece. The case is water-resistant to three bar (30 m), and its sapphire back enables one of Breguet’s unique skills to be admired, with decorations such as chamfering and the Côtes de Genève motif embellishing the various moving components.
