Breguet as a brand is very important to the history of watchmaking—specifically the man himself, Abraham-Louis Breguet.
Abraham-Louis Breguet, born in 1747 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, was a renowned watchmaker and chronometer-maker who revolutionized timekeeping. He apprenticed at Versailles and later Paris, receiving instruction from Abbé Marie. In 1775, he set up his own business and married Cécile L'huillier. Breguet invented the first self-winding watches, the gong-spring for repeating watches, Breguet Hands, and Arabic numerals. He was a master in the guild of watchmakers and clockmakers and made significant contributions to the watchmaking industry. Breguet also invented the ratchet key, the pare-chute antishock device, and the 'Jump seconds' watches. He was enlisted in the Garde Nationale and completed the mechanism for Chappe's optical telegraph. He also invented the tourbillon regulator, chronograph, and the first wristwatch. Breguet was appointed Horologer to His Majesty and the Russian Imperial Navy and was appointed to the Academy of Sciences.
