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.
To this day, watches are manufactured that are committed to the famous tradition of Brequet horology. The best known models among these are: Grande Complication, Aeronavale Type XX, Heritage, Flying Tourbillon, Marine and the Classique series. The Classique exemplifies the watchmaking ideals of precision, clarity and elegant lines. Whether extra-thin models or complicated watches, they are all true to the technical principles, the artistry and the traditional values of Breguet.
Whether extra-thin models or complicated watches, they are all true to the technical principles, the artistry and the traditional values of Breguet.Whether extra-thin models or complicated watches, they are all true to the technical principles, the artistry and the traditional values of the Breguet watch. Classique wristwatches capture the essence of Breguet’s original features. In some models, the precious materials of former times and fired enamel dials with Arabic numerals will delight Breguet enthusiasts.
The majesty of the moon in the inimitable Breguet Classique watch vein!
The Breguet Classique 7787 watch offers a novel yet timeless interpretation of the moon phase complication that is a staple in the Breguet lineup of classic watches.
The Breguet Classique Moonphase 7787BB/12/9V6 is one of the timepieces in Breguet’s Classique Moonphase collection.
Whimsical, classical and typical of Breguet watches from the past and present, the dial is the centrepiece of the Breguet Classique 7787 watch. The placement of the poetic moon phase is unusual yet harmonious, just below the 12 o’clock marker. Like in antique pocket watches and clocks from the time of Abraham-Louis Breguet, the design of the moon in the moonphase disk depicts a face in the middle of a starry night sky.
The 39mm round case if the Breguet Classique watch, crafted in rose gold or white gold, is inherently Breguet in its styling, with the signature delicately fluted case band on the side of the thin case, and a small yet easily usable crown signed with the classic Breguet ‘B’. The Classique case also features a discrete corrector button on the caseband for precise setting of the moon phase complication of the automatic Breguet movement.
Classique wristwatch in 18-carat white gold. Self-winding movement with power reserve indicator and phases and age of the moon. Balance spring, lever and escape wheel in silicon. Silvered gold dial hand-engraved on a rose engine. Roman numerals. Blued steel Breguet hands with “apple” tip. Minute markers around the outer rim. Sapphire caseback. Water-resistant to 3 bar (30m). Diameter 39mm. Also in rose gold.
Also available: 36mm diameter, bezel and lugs set with diamonds, ref. 8788BB/12/986 DD00 and 8788BR/12/986 DD00.
