Breguet Watches - The story behind the name and how it all began

Who hasn’t heard of Breguet watches? Did you know Breguet produced the first ever wristwatch known to man, all the way back in 1810? Known to be one of the oldest, still thriving Swiss watchmaking brands, Breguet has been the pioneer of several amazing watchmaking technologies, like the Tourbillon, invented by its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet.

The timeless history of the Breguet brand, spanning over four centuries is full of inventions and innovations which have been stepping stones for other brands in horology. Breguet’s name comes from its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet.

It was not an easy life at all for Abraham-Louis, who was born on 10 January 1747 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. His parents were Huguenots, a sect of staunch French Protestants, which meant a very strict childhood. He lost his father at just eleven, which led to him discontinuing formal schooling at the tender age of twelve. Eventually, though, things started falling into place when his mother Suzanne-Marguerite Bollein married her husband’s cousin, Joseph Tattet, who came from a family of watchmakers. This incident led to Breguet’s interest in watchmaking

After realizing that mathematics was essential in the study of watch-making, he kept achieving great grades and even took evening classes on the subject at the Collège Mazarin, under a teacher named Abbé Marie. Marie, who was so impressed by Breguet’s talent, introduced him to the French Court and the aristocrats of that time, who eventually became Breguet’s most loyal clientele.

Breguet’s watches gained astonishing success, not only for the internal mechanism quality, but their design too. The elegant designs produced became irresistible and since then, there has been no looking back.

Abraham-Louis Breguet was not only an excellent watchmaker, he was also a great marketing genius as well. Take the example of  the way the “Souscription” was launched, through a public brochure. Sold only on a subscription basis, and with a down payment of about 25% of the price, it became successful overnight. .

Later, in the years, Breguet also brought to the world the first "montre à tact" or "tactful watch". The name comes from the "à tact" a system which helped the wearer to tactfully look at the time, without having to take the watch out of a patron’s pocket, for the then polite society.

It was in 1807 that Breguet took his son Antoine-Louis into the fold as a full partner, following which, Breguet came to be known as Breguet et Fils. A watch enthusiast from his childhood, Antoine-Louis demonstrated great skills.

Breguet soon established an elite clientele base, including famous personalities like Napoleon himself, who was a great patron and fan. Napoleon proceeded to purchase a great number of Breguet's watches like the "Pendule Sympathique" which was amongst his favourites. He was such a big fan that he was even known to visit Breguet’s factory, albeit incognito.

After Abraham-Louis Breguet sudden death at the age of 77, Antoine-Louis Breguet, took over Breguet, following his father’s path and helping maintain the same high standards that made the brand so famous.

For over two centuries, Breguet has been the pioneer of great horological inventions and advancements, never compromising on the precision, performance or design of this brilliant brand.

Breguet’s timeless models are still as popular today, like the Classique 5140, a truly classic timepiece which also boasts of a self-winding movement with a sub-dial for seconds. Or the Tradition 7097, for that matter, a watch that is the perfect blend of sporty and fashionable. The Marine Équation Marchante 5887 has won many a horologist’s heart, with its exquisite features like the day and month indicators, a solar hand, and even a leap year indicator.

Established in 2011, the Phoenix Watch Company specializes in the sales of luxury watches in partnership with our company in Europe in operation for well over 20 years. We are located in the centre of the busy shopping and tourist district of Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong and our core expertise is the sale of new and used watches belonging to some of the best Swiss brands like Breguet, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, IWC, Tudor, Cartier and many more.

Over the years we have built an invaluable suppliers database with companies around the world, attended an extensive list of watch conventions thereby giving us a solid reputation in the industry and a company that you can trust in. We have significant experience satisfying the needs of customers all over Europe, Asia & America, with a reputation for having the best deals both on new and used luxury watches. Our new watches are sold with box, international warranty and kits provided by the manufacturer.

We at Phoenix Watch Company, hope that you choose us to be your partner in selecting the watch of your dreams.