There’s a Chinese proverb that says, “The multitude of stars supports the moon.” The stars have been plucked from the sky for the Classique Phase de Lune Dame 9088 and set on its pristine dial by the Vallée de Joux watchmaker. Little stars glitter from the minute track around the Grand Feu enamel dial on Breguet’s brand new piece. The moon shines bright at 6 o’ clock in a display topped by a small seconds. Two openwork and delicately reworked Breguet hands gleam in blue steel in the centre to track the hours and minutes along Breguet-style Arabic numerals. The time functions and moon phase are brought to life by the self-winding 537L calibre which provides a 45-hour power reserve. The movement nestles inside the 30mm white gold bevelled case whose bezel and lugs are paved with 66 brilliant-cut diamonds. Price on request. Sharmila Bertin
breguet.com

The marine chronometer was an essential piece of kit on ships in the 18^th and 20^th centuries. Its accuracy enabled it to determine longitude and therefore calculate the ship’s position. Appointed to the prestigious post of Royal Navy Watchmaker in 1815 by Louis XVIII, Abraham-Louis Breguet designed countless marine chronometers over the course of his career. 200 years on, the brand of the same name has paid tribute to him with a limited edition of 200 pieces. The 42mm platinum case houses a self-winding movement fuelling the time, date and chronograph functions. The matt black dial features Roman hour numerals and a minute track on the chapter ring beneath openwork Breguet “pomme” hour and minute hands. The chronograph seconds and minutes both appear in the centre whilst the hour counter at 6 o’ clock sits atop the date display. Price: 53’000 CHF
breguet.com

San Francisco—September 16, 2015. Renowned watch brand, Breguet and its President & CEO, Mr. Marc A. Hayek, honor its 240th anniversary this year with a milestone—the largest exhibition of Breguet timepieces ever to be shown in the American continent. “Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking” will open at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco on Saturday, September 19, 2015 and run through January 10, 2016. Part of the museum’s regular 2015-2016 programming, it is arguably the most expansive collection of timepieces by a single brand ever to be curated by a major art museum.

On the evening of Wednesday, September 16th, an estimated 300 guests of Breguet – members of the press as well as friends of the brand from across the U.S., Asia and Europe – were invited to the Legion of Honor to preview the exhibition “Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking” at an exclusive evening gala.
The evening began with guided tours of the exhibition by curator Martin Chapman, curator at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The exhibition features fifteen sections, each dedicated to an innovation and representing a slice of the life of A.-L. Breguet. Items on display span from the beginnings of the firm in 1775 to the Art Deco period of the mid 1900s, with one watch standing apart from the rest, the 2008 reproduction of the “Marie-Antoinette” watch, which has made its mark on the watchmaking landscape and the minds of collectors for more than two centuries.
Highlights of the exhibition include a travel clock made for Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte, a touch watch made for his wife, Empress Josephine, chronometers made for the French Ministry of the Navy, and pocket watches made for the rulers of Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Some of the most important timepieces on display are early pocket watches with tourbillon movements made by the inventor himself, A.-L. Breguet. The exhibition represents not only the legacy of a brand, but the history of Europe for over two centuries.
Following the tour, guests were welcomed to a gala surrounding Rodin’s sculpture, The Thinker, in the famous courtyard of the Legion of Honor. “This is the first time that Abraham-Louis Breguet’s work is the subject of a retrospective in a major American art museum,” says Marc A. Hayek. “It is a natural fit for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to host this exhibition. After all, what better place can one imagine than the Bay Area to highlight the work of a genius who’s creations were as revolutionary as the products devised today in Silicon Valley? Throughout his life, Breguet constantly tested new technological instruments, methods, and solutions.”
“Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking” allows the viewer to better appreciate mechanical timepieces in a digital world. It tells the timeline of watchmaking, measuring instruments, and technical complications that bring marvel to every tick tock of a Breguet watch that has been keeping time continuously throughout the last 240 years.

For more information on the exhibition: www.breguet.com/en/san-francisco

For tickets and more information on the Legion of Honor: www.legionofhonor.org/breguet

The Only Watch charity hosts an auction every two years to sell specially designed unique pieces donated by forty or so watch brands. Funds raised by this incredible auction go into researching forms of myopathy. To support Only Watch, Breguet has designed a unique timepiece inspired by the first Type XX commissioned for the French army in 1954. The 42mm platinum case is topped by a rotating graduated bezel; it houses the self-winding 584Q/1 chronograph movement fitted with the flyback function which provides a 45-hour power reserve. The matt slate grey dial has several layers: raised chapter ring graduated to 60, central disc with inset counters (small seconds at 9, hour counter at 6, day/night indicator at 3) and date display at 6. The Arabic hour numerals and two main hands have a luminescent coating. Unique piece – www.onlywatch.com

Breguet marked its presence at the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo as a major private sponsor of the conservation of Hougoumont Farm. One of the last authentic testimonies to the battle, Hougoumont seeks to work toward peace and stability in Europe. The inauguration of this important piece of history following restoration work and repurposing as a museum, took place in the presence of Marc A. Hayek, President & CEO of Breguet, members of European royalty, leading politicians and the international press. It ended with a symbolic handshake between the Duke of Wellington, Prince Blücher von Wahlstatt and Prince Charles Bonaparte.

On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, Breguet celebrated the official inauguration of its Chengdu boutique, open to the public since February. For the occasion, the Manufacture brought some of its most emblematic Tourbillon timepieces to China, including the famous Classique Tourbillon Messidor and Classique Tourbillon Extra-thin Automatic. Stepping back in time through the history of this major invention was perfect subtext to this event, which aimed to offer guests an insight into Breguet’s remarkable legacy of craftsmanship.

Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793) was famous for the letters she wrote to her family and friends. Many of the messages written by the Queen, including the last one written on the morning of her execution, are stored in the National Archives and appear in the book by historian Evelyne Lever, Marie-Antoinette – Correspondance (1770-1793). In tribute to her love of writing, Breguet has unveiled a timepiece with a dazzling baguette and brilliant-cut diamond quill. It starts at the spherical diamond lug (at 6 o’ clock) and wraps its feathers around the bezel’s left-hand side. The mother-of-pearl dial is adorned with engraving reminiscent of a feather’s waves, a mother-of-pearl hour track with Arabic numerals and two blue open-tipped hands at 6 o’ clock. The time functions are brought to life by the self-winding 586/1 calibre in the oval white or rose gold case whose caseband is engraved with delicate feathers. Price: 136’000 CHF (pink gold) – 137’000 CHF (white gold)

There are some watches that you never tire of admiring on your wrist, if you’re lucky, or in a window display. Their beauty dazzles us and their mechanism intrigues us. This is certainly the case for the entire Tradition collection and especially this new piece adorned with a small retrograde seconds. Like its ancestors, its dial unveils its self-winding movement’s inner workings (bridges, cogs, escapement and other components) above the plate. Off-centre at 12 o’ clock, a dial with a guilloché heart showcases the hours with Roman numerals and two openwork blue steel Breguet “pomme” hands. A graduated brushed metal semi-circle hovers above the dial: this is the famous retrograde small seconds to which this Tradition model owes its name. The 505SR1 calibre brings to life the time functions from the heart of the 40mm white gold case with finely indented sides. Price upon request

Once upon a time, etiquette frowned upon women wearing watches with a ball gown so some watchmakers designed secret watches for them: jewellery masterpieces to conceal time beneath glittering finery. Breguet has breathed new life into this tradition with a resplendent rose inspired by a 1793 portrait of Marie-Antoinette in which the queen holds a blossoming flower tied with a bow. This rose has been delicately hand-sculpted in white cameo whilst the ribbon dazzles like a river of diamonds. Press the queen of flowers to unveil a sparkling dial with two openwork blue-tone Breguet hands. The time functions are brought to life by a self-winding 586 calibre nestled in the white gold case. There are 432 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bow and 116 on the dial. Price: 110,000CHF

Nothing’s been left to chance on this exceptional piece which epitomises Breguet’s modern soul. The classic and timeless design is unmistakable. The round 42mm platinum case is 7mm thick and features the grooves so dear to the brand. The 18 carat white gold dial has four different guilloché designs: clou de Paris on the hour and minute track, barleycorn on the surround, straight chevrons on the power reserve and cross-hatching around each item. Everything you need to showcase the impressive tourbillon off-centre at 5 o’ clock and the power reserve at 9 o’ clock. The entire ultra-thin calibre is ahead of its time. Let’s take a closer look: titanium tourbillon cage, silicon spring, anti-magnetic silicon escapement, bidirectional platinum oscillating weight on the edge of the movement and high energy cylinder to provide the watch with a 90-hour power reserve. Spectacular. Price: 160,000 CHF