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.
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 Classique is virtually a line that pays tribute to the legacy of the brand’s founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, who is also one of the greatest horologists that ever lived. Many works of art have been born from this collection, and in 2020, two more historically inspired novelties were introduced, one of which was the reinvigorated Classique 7137. The design of the Classique 7137 is based on the Breguet No.5 pocket watch that was first sold by Abraham-Louis Breguet to a nobleman in the late 1700s. It was also one of Breguet’s first ‘Perpetuelle’ or self-winding watches.
Of course, while the Classique 7137 is heavily inspired from the legendary Breguet No.5, it is far from a mere copy. The watches have distinct technical profiles, and there are also notable design and aesthetic deviations. The Classique 7137 is described as a watch that showcases the best of Breguet’s past and present, featuring hand-guilloched pattern of the dial, an art of decoration that is still considered one of the most advanced decorative techniques.
Classique wristwatch in 18-carat yellow gold. Self-winding extra-thin movement with date, power reserve indicator and phases and age of the moon. Roman Numerals. Balance spring in silicon. Silvered gold dial, hand-engraved on a rose engine. 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 white gold.
