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“Breguet, the Innovator” exhibition arrives in Moscow
Events

“Breguet, the Innovator” exhibition arrives in Moscow

Monday, 13 October 2014
Press Release
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From September 26th to October 22nd 2014, a special exhibition entitled “Breguet, the Innovator” is taking up residence on the ground floor of the prestigious GUM department store located on the Red Square in Moscow.

Reviewing the exceptional contributions that the Manufacture has made to the field of horology, this exhibition focuses, amongst others, on the tourbillon—one of the master watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet’s most important inventions. The exhibit offers a unique opportunity to discover 3 of 35 antique watches with a tourbillon sold by A.-L. Breguet between 1805 and 1823: watch N°986, watch N°1188 and watch N°2567. The contemporary timepiece Classique Tourbillon extra-thin automatic 5377, a pure Breguet creation combining timeless style and cutting-edge technology, is also on display for the first time in Russia at the occasion of this event. The official celebration of the launch of the exhibition “Breguet, the Innovator” took place on the 3rd of October, with the endorsement by members of the House of Breguet’s Board of Directors. An estimated 700 guests were treated to a private cocktail after the closing of the department store to the public.

On June 26th 1801 – or rather on 7 Messidor Year 9, since the Republic calendar was still in effect at the time – the French Minister of the Interior awarded Abraham-Louis Breguet a patent for the invention of the tourbillon. This new type of regulator was developed in response to a longstanding problem: how gravity exercises a detrimental effect on the regularity of a movement by generating variations in rate.

This supremely ingenious invention turned out to be exceedingly difficult to produce, and of all Breguet’s brilliant ideas, was undoubtedly the toughest to implement. Making a tourbillon was not within reach of all watchmakers, and only the finest proved capable of producing one after the 10-year patent had expired.

Building on its unique heritage, the House of Breguet has never stopped developing new tourbillons that now form an extensive Grandes Complications collection – extra-thin tourbillon, flying tourbillon, fusée and chain tourbillon or tourbillon watches set with diamonds.

A couple of years before inventing the tourbillon, Breguet developed the shock protection system known as the pare-chute. In 1830, the House of Breguet came out with another incredible discovery: the first watch boasting a keyless stem winding and time-setting system, now commonly known as the “crown”.

To this very day, Breguet tirelessly perpetuates the pioneering spirit of its founder by revolutionising various facets of horology. The Manufacture notably leveraged high frequency (10 Hz) to improve the performances of the balance of some of its models. Consequently, to pursue its quest for precision, Breguet filed a patent for the magnetic pivot in November 2010. With this invention, the brand has set another milestone in watchmaking history by harnessing magnetism to the service of precision and reliability.

Napoléon Bonaparte purchased from the master a travelling clock with calendar.

Also dedicated to the Manufacture’s history, Breguet’s exhibition at the GUM department store presents certain famous personalities who were known to own one or more Breguet watches. Marie-Antoinette was driven by a truly passionate desire for Breguet watches. In 1783, one of her admirers made an astonishing order for the most complicated watch of her time, known as the “Marie-Antoinette” pocket watch N°160. In April 1798, a few weeks before leaving for Egypt, Napoléon Bonaparte purchased from the master a travelling clock with calendar. As for his sister, Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, she ordered from Breguet the first wristwatch in watchmaking history. This oval-shaped complicated model is characterized by a wristlet composed of twisted hair and gold thread. It became the inspiration for the contemporary female collection “Reine de Naples” (Queen of Naples). And, to talk of Breguet’s famous clients is to talk of Tsar Alexandre the 1st, who was not only a regular Breguet client but who personally visited Breguet’s workshops on Quai de L’Horloge in Paris in Spring of 1814.

Many literary legends have paid homage to Breguet, from Honoré de Balzac to Victor Hugo. The Manufacture’s tight connection with Russia is also illustrated through literature. Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s most celebrated writer and poet, the son of count Pushkin who in 1804 had acquired a Breguet repeater watch. Pushkin alludes to a Breguet watch in what is generally accepted as his masterpiece, Eugene Onegin, “A dandy on the boulevards (…), strolling at leisure until his Breguet, ever vigilant, reminds him it is midday.”

Over the time, under the guidance of President and CEO Marc A. Hayek, Breguet’s design and watchmaking teams have all at once remained faithful to the House’s philosophy: passion, excellence, creativity and innovation. The exhibition “Breguet, the Innovator” provides an experiential way of learning about the brand’s most important inventions and immerses visitors into its rich history and special position as the benchmark of Fine Watchmaking and integral part of European cultural heritage.

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