There is little doubt that the 18th-century watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet belongs in horology’s pantheon.
“I regard Abraham-Louis Breguet as one of the principal architects of modern horology,” Nicholas Manousos, the executive director of the Horological Society of New York, wrote in an email. “With inventions like the tourbillon, hairspring overcoil and balance wheel shock absorber, he established the technical and aesthetic blueprint that underpins much of watchmaking today.”
Certainly Breguet’s brand concurs with that assessment.
“Breguet invented almost everything” in watchmaking, Gregory Kissling, the company chief executive, said during an interview at its headquarters in L’Orient, a village in the Swiss watchmaking stronghold Vallée de Joux.
This year marks the watch house’s 250th anniversary, and it has several reasons to celebrate.
The brand that in 1801 gave the world the tourbillon — the mechanism that counteracts the effects of gravity on timekeeping — has been doing a nine-stop world tour, introducing new watches based on its own creations, but updated for today. It is also showcasing archival models.
“We want to tell the story of what is Breguet,” Mr. Kissling said. “And talk to a wider audience, to more people and the new generation.”
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The post Watch World Marks 250 Years of Breguet, the Man and the Brand appeared first on New York Times.
