Four pocket watches made personally by Abraham-Luis Breguet, who founded the luxury watch brand Breguet, will be exhibited at the Getty Center in L.A. this October. These four significant timepieces were created in late 18th and early 19th centuries, and they’re all usually exhibited in the Breguet Museum in Paris.
A.L. Breguet was one of the most prolific horologists, who came to prominence for his elegant watches that featured cutting-edge technology. He was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 1823, but spent most of his watch-making career in Paris. During his impressively productive career he made many innovations and improvements to existing technologies. Among other great discoveries, Breguet was responsible for inventing the “para-chute” anti-shock device, a retrograde display mechanism, the Breguet spiral, the tact watch and the tourbillion escapement.
The impressive list of his achievements also includes an appointment as chronometer maker to the French Navy and membership in the French Academy of Sciences. The grandness of his achievements can be displayed by the fact that Breguet name is one of just 72 names of notable scientists and engineers inscribed on the Paris’s greatest landmark – the Eiffel Tower.
