Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchâtel, but it was in Paris that he spent most of his productive life. No aspect of watchmaking escaped his study, and his inventions were as fundamental to horology as they were varied.

His career started with a series of breakthroughs: the development of the successful self-winding perpétuelle watches, the introduction of the gongs for repeating watches and the first shock-protection for balance pivots.

Louis XVI and his Queen, Marie-Antoinette, were early enthusiasts of Breguet’s watchmaking. For Caroline Murat, queen of Naples, he conceived in 1810 the world's very first wristwatch. Each watch from his workshops demonstrated the latest horological improvements in an original movement, mostly fitted with lever or ruby-cylinder escapements that he perfected.

To create the style that time cannot age, Breguet turned to the classical rules of proportion and order. As in all precious objects, it is the sum of detail that gives a watch its particular presence. The unique Breguet style includes the Breguet hands, engine-turned dials, the Breguet numerals, the secret signature to prevent counterfeiting and the off-centred dials, among others.

The purchase by the Swatch Group brings a new dynamism to Breguet. If the projects started since 1999 seemed ambitious, the year 2003 marks a very important step: the beginning of the extension of the manufacturer. Today’s Breguet has every capability to continue to write its fabulous story while always enthralling watch lovers with astounding innovations.