Early history Breguet was founded in 1775 by
Abraham-Louis Breguet, a Swiss watchmaker born to
Huguenot parents in
Neuchâtel. He studied watchmaking for ten years under
Ferdinand Berthoud and
Jean-Antoine Lépine before setting up his own watchmaking business at 51 Quai de l'Horloge on the
Île de la Cité in Paris. The dowry that came with his marriage to the daughter of a prosperous French
bourgeois provided the backing which allowed him to open his own workshop. Breguet's connections made during his apprenticeship as a watchmaker and as a student of mathematics helped him to establish his business. Following his introduction to the court, Queen
Marie Antoinette grew fascinated by Breguet's unique
self-winding watch;
Louis XVI bought several of his watches. In 1783 the Swedish count
Axel Von Fersen, who was the queen's friend and reputed lover, commissioned a watch from Breguet that was to contain every watch
complication known at that time as a gift to
Marie Antoinette. The result is a Breguet's masterpiece, the
Marie-Antoinette pocket watch (Breguet No.160).
Recent development movement watch by Breguet From 1870 to 1970, Breguet was owned by the English Brown family. The Brown family were of English origin, Edward Brown was prominent factory manager who acquired Breguet from Abraham-Louis’ grandson, Louis-François, an engineer. Brown managed the brand through the turbulent French politics of the late 19th century. It was only after Edward’s death that the firm saw its sales rise near the levels it enjoyed before 1870. Edward’s son, Edouard, took over the business until 1912 when his brother Henry took over. After the Brown family, the ownership changed hands several times during the
quartz crisis in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1976, Breguet's then-owner
Chaumet closed its French factory and moved production to the
Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. In 1987, Breguet was acquired by
Investcorp which, in 1991, created the
Groupe Horloger Breguet (GHB). The Breguet Group consists of four subsidiaries:
Montres Breguet SA,
Breguet SA,
Valdar SA and
Nouvelle Lemania SA (which Breguet Group acquired in 1992). As a result, Breguet-brand watches are now made at the Nouvelle Lemania factory in Switzerland. In particular, Montres Breguet SA is the main company that sells timepieces under the brand name of "Breguet", and Breguet SA is the name of Breguet Group's distribution company in France. Breguet is an active member of the
Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. ==Manufacturing==