Breguet Bal Harbour Shops Grand Opening 2012

MIAMI, Fla. (January 27, 2012) – On Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, Breguet and U.S Brand President Michael Nelson hosted the esteemed watchmaking house's Grand Opening celebration at Bal Harbour Shops, followed by an intimate dinner at the newly opened St. Regis Bal Harbour. Mr. Stephane Aubert, master engraver for Manufacture Breguet, was on hand to demonstrate the fine art of engraving, which has become a hallmark of the Breguet brand.

BREGUET BOUTIQUE HOSTED ITS BAL HARBOUR SHOPS GRAND OPENING

Miami VIPs joined to welcome the world's number-one luxury watchmaker

Attendees of the evening included Ambassador H�lio Vitor Ramos Filho, shoe designer, Lisa Pliner; philanthropist, Lea Black; fashion designer, Lei Marco; socialite Malinka Max; Bal Harbour Shops managing partner, Randy Whitman and wife as well as owner of Lifestyle Magazine, Gabriel Erem.

On display at the boutique for an exclusive preview were four historic pocket watches from the 18th and 19th centuries, previously on loan to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. All four watches were sold and used in the 1800s, however, three of them were designed in the late 1700s. They are all from the Breguet Museum in Paris, which houses more than 100 timepieces and items related to the history of the House of Breguet.

The four pocket watches are unique in style and movement:

1.   Breguet 988 Souscription has a calibre with center going barrel, overhanging ruby cylinder escapement, pare-chute suspension and bimetallic thermal compensation curve on the index. It was sold in 1803 for 692 Francs

2.   Breguet 155 Montre Simple has a gold case, enamel dial, and lever escapement. It was sold on July 27, 1812 for 1,500 Francs

3.   Breguet 2638 Montre Simple has a gold case, gold dial, and ruby cylinder escapement. It was sold on October 1, 1816 for 1,000 Francs

4.   Breguet 4755 Montre Simple is a small plain watch with a gold case, enamel dial, and ruby cylinder escapement. It was sold on October 3, 1829 for 1,400 Francs

The masterpieces will be on display at the Breguet Boutique in Bal Harbour Shops Friday, Feb. 27, through Sunday, Feb. 29.

Breguet Boutique Bal Harbour is the fourth boutique to open in the United States and is the brand's 25th location worldwide. Additional locations include Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue in New York City, as well as a boutique in Beverly Hills. Additional boutiques to be announced later in the year.

About Breguet

The world's number-one luxury watchmaker

Since it was acquired by the Swatch Group in 1999, MontresBreguet has rapidly moved into the world's number-one position in luxury watchmaking. Its new products, the true measure of the brand's dynamism, as well as its capacity for innovation, continue to be priorities. The creativity and ingenuity of Breguet have not run out of steam with the passage of time, but rather have grown. The number of patents granted under the leadership of Nicolas G. Hayek exceeds the number of inventions recorded by its founder, A.L. Breguet (1747–1823). Today the brand continues to reinforce its dominant role in the development of watchmaking mechanics by devoting very significant investments to research and innovation, as well as to the actual Breguet manufacturing site, which has been expanded with new facilities and infrastructure as well as sophisticated machinery. Emphasis has also been placed on recruiting highly qualified watchmakers. A team is ceaselessly working on the design and production of new models that interpret the brand's esthetic values in a novel manner, and on completely original mechanisms that will drive the timepieces of tomorrow. At the heart of the brand's strategy lies the perfecting, through synergies with the Swatch Group, of innovative manufacturing procedures. This demonstrates its historical capacity for constantly reinventing and revolutionizing watchmaking, in order to satisfy the requirements of its extremely sophisticated clientele. It was with this objective in mind that a prestige jewelry line was launched in 2002, with resounding success. www.breguet.com

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