Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823)
Breguet was founded in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet.
Abraham was a Swiss watchmaker who was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, but it was in Paris that he spent most of his productive life. No aspect of watchmaking escaped his study, and his inventions were as fundamental to horology as they were varied. His career started with a series of breakthroughs: the development of the successful self-winding perpétuelle watches, the introduction of the gongs for repeating watches and the first shock-protection for balance pivots.
Louis XVI and his Queen, Marie-Antoinette, were early enthusiasts of Breguet’s watchmaking. Each watch from his workshops demonstrated the latest horological improvements in an original movement, mostly fitted with lever or ruby-cylinder escapements that he perfected. Breguet took refuge in Switzerland from the perils of the French Revolution. He returned to Paris overflowing with the ideas that produced the Breguet balance-spring, his first carriage clock (sold to Bonaparte), the “sympathique” clock and its dependent watch, the tact watch, and finally the tourbillon, patented in 1801.
Breguet became the indispensable watchmaker to the scientific, military, financial and diplomatic elites of the age. His timepieces ruled the courts of Europe. For his most celebrated clients, Breguet designed exceptional timepieces. For Caroline Murat, queen of Naples, he conceived in 1810 the world’s very first wristwatch. Honours saluted his enormous contribution to horology. Appointed to the Board of Longitude and as chronometer-maker to the navy, he entered the Academy of Sciences and received the Legion of Honour from the hands of Louis XVIII.
When he died in 1823, all mourned the architect of the greatest revolution in the science and art of time-keeping.
To this day, watches are manufactured that are committed to the famous tradition of Brequet horology.
Among Breguet’s collections, the Classiques are proud standard-bearers for the company’s traditional values and watchmaking art. They beautifully epitomise its two-hundred-year-plus heritage and the standout characteristics that are so original as to have influenced Fine Watchmaking history itself. The new Breguet Classique 5717 Hora Mundi watch introduced at Baselworld 2011 perfectly exemplifies the spirit of this prestigious collection. It is made of precious materials: 18-carat red gold or 950 platinum. Three versions of the dial are available, each representing one part of the world: the Americas, the European and African continents, or Asia and Oceania – six references in all. Breguet’s teams needed three years to design, develop and perfect this complication watch.
In 2011, Breguet revolutionized the world time function with a genius mechanism: The Classique “Hora Mundi” is the first mechanical timepiece with an instant-jump time-zone display. It allows one to switch between two time zones with one single pusher. But that’s not all.
Let’s stick with the instant jump time zone display. First of all, from the crown at 8 o’clock, you can choose a second time zone by pulling it out and turning it to the desired destination within the display at 6 o’clock. If you also want to switch the local time to a different time zone, simply repeat the process. A clever memory system inside the movement automatically calculates the time difference between the local time and the second time zone. From the push piece inside the crown, you can now instantly switch between both reference times. Accurate operation during setting is ensured by a stop second system.
The “Hora Mundi” is equipped with self-winding mechanical movement number 5717, which is based on calibre 777 with silicon escapement fitted with an additional module.
The magic is that in the process of jumping between time zones, the date and day/night display also synchronize accordingly. So, let’s say we are sitting at dinner around 7 pm anywhere in Central Europe, and people in Tokyo are most likely already asleep. The time difference is nine hours compared to GMT time. On the next calendar day, as the sun slowly rises in Japan (depending on the time of the year), it is starting to set in Europe.
Breguet’s “Hora Mundi” takes all of these conditions into account for all possible constellations within the 24 time zones: a very respectable piece of technical savoir-faire that took Breguet’s teams three years to develop and for which they consequently filed four patent applications.
We would not be talking about the Maison Breguet if the technical demand would not also involve an equally aesthetic execution. Every function finds its artistic companion on the dial side. On the day/night indicator, the sky is made of lapis lazuli, containing numerous pyrite inclusions that look like tiny specks of gold and represent the stars, and the rising sun in gold circles across the sky indicator. When it sets, a moon in rhodium-plated gold starts sliding into view. The cover for this disc, representing a cloud and bearing the Breguet name and the watch’s serial number, is also made of silvered 18K gold and engraved entirely by hand.
Once again, Breguet has met the challenge of excellence and innovation by presenting this new Classique Hora Mundi, the first mechanical watch with an instant time-zone jump and a memory with synchronised date, day/night and city indications.
Classique “Hora Mundi” wristwatch in 18-carat rose gold. Self-winding movement. Instant-jump time-zone display with synchronised date, day/night indication and city. Balance spring, lever and escape wheel in silicon. Gold dial depicting the continents of Asia and Oceana, hand-engraved on a rose engine with “wave”motif coated with translucent lacquer. Blued steel Breguet hands with “apple” tip. Minute markers around the outer rim. Roman numerals. Sapphire caseback. Water-resistant to 3 bar (30m). Diameter 43mm. Also in platinum.
