Ares501 - Mr Green
27144
10th January 1747 till 10th January 2019
Jan 12, 2019,04:02 AM
Two days ago it was 272 years since
the birthday of one of the best if not by many the best watchmaker of all times.
Yes the Abraham-Luis Breguet.
Born in Neuchatel, made his fame and died in Paris.
The list of his achievements is truly amazing.
Yes the tourbillon developed since 1795 patented in 1801 is the most famous one but along side this ingenious mean
to keep influence of gravity to movement and precision under control we also have:
1780 Improved the automatic winding mechanism.
1783 Invented the gong for repeater watches.
1793 Invented equation of time.
1790 Invented the pare-chute an anti-shock device.
1794 Invented a retrograde display mechanism.
1795 Invented the Sympathique clock, a master
carriage clock which rewinds and sets to time a detachable pocket watch.
1799 Invented the montre a tact watch that could be read by feel in the pocket or the dark.
1802 Invented the echappement naturel, a double-escape wheeled chronometer escapement that needed no oil.
Mind boggling
but that's not all folks
some inventions carry his name even to this day:
- Breguet hands
- Breguet escapement
- Breguet numerals
- Breguet spiral
like all this isn't enough we have also Breguet doing for the first time:
engine-turned dials
caseband fluting
secret signature against fakes (yes there were watch fakers even then)
unique single number of a watch
Truly mesmerizing
And of course made one of most complicated watches for years and years
and one of most famous watches of all times both on level of complications, time & dexterity used to build it but also for his super exciting history to this days
ref 160 aka Marie-Antoinette watch comissioned in 1783 by count von Fersen an admirer and alleged lover of the French Queen. Sadly Mr Breguet never saw final version he died 4 years before and watch was finished by his son Antoine-Louis.
So dear friends please share your Breguets watches with us on this occasion.
Thanks in advance
Cheers
D