The story · Since 1870
The Breguet story
- 1870 Louis-Clement Breguet, the founder's grandson, sold the watchmaking branch to his workshop manager Edward Brown; the Brown family ran it for a century.
- 1933 Breguet moved into 28 Place Vendome in Paris, the first watch brand to open on the square.
- 1954 Breguet answered a French Ministry of Defence specification for a flyback chronograph for military pilots, the Type 20; a civilian version followed as the Type XX.
- 1970 The Brown family sold Breguet to the Chaumet brothers, Paris jewellers, who turned it towards high-end complicated watches.
- 1976 A workshop opened in the Vallee de Joux in Switzerland, where Breguet production has been based since.
- 2010 After the death of Nicolas G. Hayek, his grandson Marc A. Hayek took over as head of Breguet.
Firsts and innovations
1830. Breguet lists 1830 as the date of its first watch with a keyless winding mechanism, wound without a key.