King of watchmakers

King of watchmakers King Louis XVIII appointed Breguet as chronometer-maker to the Royal Navy, a key role during the great age of ocean exploration that has left an indelible mark on the watchmaking firm.

MARC A. HAYEK, PRESIDENT OF BREGUET

“We’re going to tell the story of Breguet, and there is a lot to say.” These few words uttered by Marc A. Hayek, President of Breguet, reveal the new direction being taken by this company, which is owned by the Swatch Group and occupies a unique position in the world of luxury watches. With a management team led by CEO Thierry Esslinger, who has 24 years of experience within the group, Marc A. Hayek has a tiger team to conduct Breguet, a House that clearly has the wind in its sails on buoyant markets such as China, Hong Kong and Japan, with great potential in the United States. As a result, it is “experiencing strong growth this year and is particularly proud of the feedback on the new Marine collection,” says Hayek modestly. Breguet has particularly strong links to the sea, and the company’s decision to talk about its past can only strengthen its future. “In the past, we brought out many new patents in a very short space of time,” explains Hayek. “We now owe it to

BREGUET CLASSIQUE TOURBILLON EXTRA-PLAT SQUELETTE 5395. BREGUET HAS CHOSEN TO SKELETONIZE THE CALIBRE 581 MOVEMENT IN THIS ULTRA-THIN TOURBILLON WATCH. IT TOOK A WEALTH OF INGENIOUS SOLUTIONS TO PRODUCE A MOVEMENT JUST 3 MM HIGH — INCLUDING A COMPLETE RETHINKING OF THE TOURBILLON. NOW BREGUET GOES EVEN FURTHER AND CARVES AWAY ALMOST HALF THE MATERIAL OF THIS EXCEPTIONALLY THIN MOVEMENT IN WHITE GOLD.

ourselves to shine a light on them and explore their full potential — for example our magnetic governor, or our musical watches. What’s more, at Breguet, this potential for research into movements is practically boundless.” Indeed, Abraham-Louis Breguet’s vast knowledge has benefited the fields of navigation and astronomy as well as watchmaking, and has led to the creation of timepieces that have undoubtedly laid the foundations for modern watchmaking.

Outstanding results The many talents of this genius “mechanician” earned him the title of chronometer-maker to the Royal Navy. Far from being honorary, the role was vital in that era of ocean exploration. In the early nineteenth century, marine chronometers were essential to allow fleets to calculate the position of ships. Entrusted with this respon

BREGUET MARINE EQUATION MARCHANTE 5887. ONLY A RARE FEW WATCHMAKERS HAVE TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO THE EQUATION OF TIME, A COMPLICATION THAT SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEAN AND TRUE SOLAR TIME (A DISCREPANCY OF BETWEEN –16 AND +14 MINUTES). BREGUET’S MARINE EQUATION MARCHANTE TAKES UP THE CHALLENGE TO DISPLAY SOLAR TIME AND CIVIL TIME SIMULTANEOUSLY, ON THE SAME DIAL, BY MEANS OF TWO SEPARATE MINUTE HANDS.

sibility, Breguet designed a number of marine chronometers that were truly exceptional for their time. The Marine collection pays homage to this chapter in the company’s history, and what a tribute it is. When the watchmaker decided to relaunch the collection in 2017, the first timepiece it unveiled was the Marine Équation Marchante 5887, which displays civil time and real time (equation of time), combined with a perpetual calendar and 60-second tourbillon. This impressive feat of watchmaking was repeated the following year in the form of a timepiece with three hands, chronograph and musical alarm, and again this year with some beautifully made watches for women. Another example of Breguet’s expertise is the new Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 — easily the standout timepiece of the year. At three millimeters thick, the extra-thin Calibre 581 is one of the slimmest self-winding tourbillon movements in the world. With these dimensions, designing the tourbillon was a challenge. By skeletonizing the entire movement to do away with amost half of the material, the watchmaker has achieved something incredible. The skeleton caliber in 18 k gold pushes the boundaries of physics and in doing so reminds us that at Breguet, the watchmaker is a true artist. In addition, the engraving, guilloché work and beveled edges help make this a unique timepiece. Eric Dumatin

CALIBER RM 16-01

RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES