Breguet was founded in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Abraham was a Swiss watchmaker who was born in January of 1747 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Breguet’s father’s died in 1758. Some years later, Abraham’s mother remarried to Joseph Tattet. Tattet came from a family of watchmakers. They moved to Paris where they had a showroom. The family tried to draw Abraham into the trade. Eventually he found interest and in 1762 he was sent to be apprenticed to a Versailles master watchmaker. Abraham studied watchmaking for 10 years under Ferdinand Berthoud and Jean-Antoine Lépine before setting up his own watchmaking business in Paris, France. The business was a success. Breguet made three series of watches, and the highest numbering of the three reached 5120. It is estimated that his shop produced around 17,000 timepieces during Breguet’s life. Because of his minute attention to detail and his constant experimentation, no two Breguet pieces are exactly alike.
His achievements soon attracted a wealthy and influential clientele: Louis XVI and his Queen Marie-Antoinette, Louis XVIII, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the 1st Duke of Wellington to name a few. In 1783, Breguet invented the gong spring for the minute repeater. He also designed the famous open-tipped hands known as “Breguet hands” and Breguet’s Arabic numerals. Later, in 1789, he invented the ratchet key known as the “Breguet key” which allows the escapement to work without oil.
In 1807, he took on his son Louis-Antoine as his partner, renaming the firm “Breguet et Fils” (Breguet and Sons). Louis-Antoine took over the firm upon the death of his father in 1823. After a couple of generations taking over the business, Abraham-Louis’ great-grandson, Louis Antoine (1851-1882) was the last of the Breguet family to run the business. The Breguet company hired English watchmaker Edward Brown to manage the factory. Brown eventually became a partner and, after Breguet’s grandson’s death, the owner and head of the company.
The reference 7800 Classique “La Musicale” watch aroused a great deal of comment when it first came out, because apart from telling the time, it also houses a remarkable patented musical mechanism. Today the Breguet manufacturing company is happy to introduce a new version of this outstanding timepiece.
The Breguet Classique 7800BB/11/9YV is part of the Classique La Musicale collection, introduced in 2013. Inside it is a combination of both traditional techniques such as music boxes, with modern technologies of the 21st century.
This Breguet “La Musicale” Timepiece is one of the most fascinating and mesmerizing complications. The amazing watch turns into a musical box that plays a crystal-toned version of “The Thieving Magpie” overture by Rossini. The music can be played on demand or as an alarm – a melodic reminder at a desired time.
The watch features a robust white gold case that is fitted with two off-centered push buttons on the left side of the case and two off-centered crowns on the right side. The top push button is used to activate the musical box on demand and the bottom one is used to turn the alarm/musical reminder between the on and off positions. The bottom crown is used to wind and power up the alarm module and also to set the desired alarm time. The top crown is used to wind the movement and set the hours and minutes. This watch is not fitted with a seconds hand or a seconds register in order to keep its design nice and clean.
This masterpiece of horology houses a patented musical mechanism where a disc underneath the dial carries the pins replacing the traditional music-box cylinder and as the dial spins it combs 15 metal teeth to create a fascinating melody. A Liquidmetal membrane is placed beneath the movement.
Liquidmetal, that is used by Omega is also used here, as both companies are owned by the Swatch group. The special technology was purchased by Omega (via the Swatch Group) years ago for the production of bezels and dials. In the case of the Classique La Musicale 7800, Liquidmetal is used inside of the watch to create a better resonance system for the musical alarm function. Liquidmetal is apparently used in the production of the metal membrane which works with a series of blades that create the music box-style function inside of the watch.
To enhance the listening pleasure, the model is equipped with the first magnetic strike governor in watchmaking history. This patented system – equipped with magnets isolated within the cage – manages to eliminate background noise as well as the characteristic wear typical of classic strike-governors. This beautiful watch features a caseband that is finely engraved with a musical stave instead of the traditional Breguet fluting. The caseband alone is a work of art like on no other Breguet watch we have seen.
Dial of this watch is just as impressive as the rest of it. Breguet is famous for their guilloche decoration, and this is the first time that the engraving pattern has a radial swirl and looks very three dimensional.
The rotating dial on this watch is made of platinum coated with a very fine and intricate rose engine engraving and a chapter ring with Roman numerals. The dial features a small alarm module power reserve indicator at 3 and an on/off alarm indicator between 9 and 10 o’clock that displays a musical note when the alarm is set to the on position. To complete the elegant look of this dial, the watch is fitted with the traditional blue anodized Breguet hands for the hours and minutes and a straight hand with a clef at the bottom for the alarm. Just as with any other Breguet, the dial includes the single case number at 6 and the secret signatures between 11 and 1 o’clock.
As it did for the previous model, Breguet supplies the reference 7800 with a special box made of resonant wood. The alpine spruce, selected as the ideal tonewood by makers of stringed instruments, acts as a vibrant soundboard. This wood, which is found in the Risoud forest in the Joux Valley where the Breguet company is located, noticeably amplifies the music played in the watch.
As a work of art the “La Musicale” Classique model is in perfect keeping with Breguet’s values of elegant understatement, innovation and advanced methods. In addition, Breguet has been involved for a number of years in musical events such as the Geneva International Music Competition or New York’s Carnegie Hall. This timepiece thus underlines the brand’s connexion with music in particular and European art and culture in general.
La Musicale. Classique wristwatch in 18-carat white gold chiming “The Thieving Magpie” Rossini. Self-winding movement. Balance spring, lever and escape wheel in silicon. Rotating platinum-plated dial, hand-engraved on a rose engine. Silvered gold chapter ring. Melody on/off and autonomy indicators. Roman Numerals. Minute markers around the outer rim. Water-resistant to 3 bar (30m). Diameter 48mm.
