Swiss watch brand
Breguet: history, models and value
Breguet goes back to the Paris workshop of Abraham-Louis Breguet, one of the most important watchmakers in history. Today it is a Swatch Group brand based in the Vallée de Joux, and old Breguet pieces are among the most copied watches ever made.
- Founded
- 1775
- Founder(s)
- Abraham-Louis Breguet
- Headquarters
- L'Abbaye (Vallée de Joux)
- Owner / group
- Swatch Group
Breguet: origins and founding
Abraham-Louis Breguet, a Swiss-born watchmaker, opened his own workshop in Paris in 1775, on the Île de la Cité. He made high-end pocket watches, clocks and marine chronometers for the French court and for wealthy clients across Europe. Among his customers, according to the house records, were Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, King George III and Tsar Alexander I.
Founders and family
The Breguet family ran the business from 1775 to 1870: Abraham-Louis, then his son Louis-Antoine and his grandson Louis-François-Clément. In 1870 the firm passed to Edward Brown, the English workshop foreman, and his family ran it for about a century. A descendant, Emmanuel Breguet, today looks after the brand's archives and history.
Breguet history and milestones
Abraham-Louis Breguet is credited with a long list of inventions and refinements still used today:
- 1780: the "perpétuelle", a self-winding pocket watch.
- 1783: the slim, open-tipped "Breguet hands" and the gong spring used in repeaters.
- 1790: the "pare-chute", an early shock protection.
- 1795: the Breguet overcoil hairspring.
- 1801: the tourbillon, patented in France.
- 1810: what is often called the first wristwatch, No. 2639, made for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples.
The famous "Marie Antoinette" watch, No. 160, was ordered in 1783 and only finished in 1827, after both the queen and Breguet had died. It was stolen from a Jerusalem museum in 1983 and recovered in 2007.
In the 20th century ownership changed several times. The Chaumet jewellers bought Breguet in 1970 and moved production to Switzerland. Investcorp took over in 1987, and in 1999 Nicolas G. Hayek brought Breguet into the Swatch Group.
Famous Breguet models
- Classique: round dress watches with guilloché dials, Breguet hands and fluted case bands. This is the line most owners have.
- Marine: sportier, water-resistant watches with crown guards.
- Type XX and successors: flyback chronographs. In 1954 the French Air Force ordered 1,100 "Type 20" watches, delivered from 1955 to 1959. Breguet also delivered to the French Naval Aviation and to civilian buyers. About 4,000 were made by 1970.
- Tradition: watches with the movement shown on the dial side.
- Reine de Naples: oval ladies' watches named after the 1810 piece.
- Heritage: tonneau-shaped cases.
Movements and technique
The early Type XX watches used the Valjoux 22 family (calibres 222 and 225), replaced from late 1963 by the Valjoux 230 and 720. Modern Breguet watches are made within the Swatch Group, which also owns the former Lemania movement works that Investcorp had grouped with Breguet. Tourbillons, perpetual calendars, minute repeaters and hand guilloché dials are central to the brand. In 2010 Breguet patented a magnetic pivot and a magnetic strike governor.
Breguet today
Breguet is owned by the Swatch Group and is based in L'Abbaye in the Vallée de Joux. It is the group's top haute horlogerie brand, with prices in the high luxury range. Its archives hold records for watches made since the late 18th century, including to whom each was sold.
Breguet prices on the pre-owned market
Modern Breguet watches often sell for much less than their original retail price, especially simple Classique models. Complications such as tourbillons and perpetual calendars, steel or rare dial versions, and watches with full box and papers do better. Original military Type XX chronographs with the right markings and dials are actively collected, and condition and originality matter a lot.
Historic Breguet pieces belong to a different world. A documented example: the Duc d'Orléans "Sympathique" clock, Nos. 128 and 5009, sold at Sotheby's in 2012 for US$6.8 million. Such results apply only to authentic pieces with archive records.
How to recognise a genuine Breguet
Breguet was copied heavily even in its founder's lifetime. According to Emmanuel Breguet, there were more fake Breguet watches than real ones in the 19th century. Watches signed "Breguet à Paris" are generally fakes, and "Spiral Breguet" on a movement only means it used a Breguet-type hairspring, not that Breguet made it.
To fight fakes, Breguet began adding a "secret signature" to its dials in 1795, visible only in oblique light. Most modern Breguet dials carry it too, near the 12 o'clock position, followed by the watch's individual number. The Breguet archives can confirm whether a historic serial number matches the watch. For general checks, read how to spot a fake watch.
What is your Breguet worth?
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Frequently asked questions
Who owns Breguet?
Breguet has belonged to the Swatch Group since 1999. Before that it was owned by Investcorp (from 1987) and the Chaumet jewellers (from 1970).
Is my old pocket watch signed Breguet real?
Possibly not. Breguet was very widely copied in the 19th century, and watches signed "Breguet à Paris" are generally fakes. Breguet's archives and a specialist can check the serial number, marks and movement.
What is the Breguet secret signature?
It is a tiny engraved signature on the dial, introduced in 1795 against counterfeiting and seen only when you tilt the watch in the light. Most modern Breguet dials have it near 12 o'clock together with the watch's individual number.
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