Breguet

The discussion of the watch brand Breguet requires a discussion of watchmaking history. Abraham Louis Breguet is a legend in the world of watchmaking and is considered a father of high horology.

In the late 1700s he handmade intricate bespoke timepieces for the elites of France and Europe including special productions for Napoleon, King George IV, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.

Some of these commissioned pieces took decades to complete, and in the process, Breguet invented mechanical capabilities never used before and still used today.

His signature invention is the tourbillon, an advanced movement complication that rotates the entire escapement to offset the detrimental influence of gravity on timekeeping.

Other achievements pioneered by Breguet include advances in the self-winding mechanism, hairspring design, shock absorbers and artistic designs for dials and hands. He took great steps to miniaturize the mechanical movement and is widely credited with the first wristwatch in 1810.

The modern Breguet invests material and effort to design and create timepieces that rise to the standards and ambitions of their great namesake.

• Key models: La Marine, Classique, Tradition, Classique Complications
• Price range: $10,000-$350,000+
• Approximate average price: $28,000
• Approximate annual production: 23,000
• Ownership: Swatch Group
• Breguet fact: The grand complication commissioned in 1783 for Marie Antoinette did not make it on time. She met her demise in 1793 while the timepiece was finished and delivered in 1827.