Breguet: Celebrating the Invention of the Tourbillion

Yesterday, exactly 216 years ago, Abraham-Louis Breguet was awarded the patent of the tourbillon. Little did he know that he had just invented one of the most prestigious complications in watchmaking for centuries to come.

Breguet has always been at the forefront of haute horlogerie. The creation of the tourbillon is no different and quite simply a beautiful expression of why watchmaking is blend of both craftsmanship and artwork that sits delicately on his or her wrist.

The tourbillon, in simple terms, minimizes the influence of gravity on the escapement. He did this by placing the balance and spring, lever and the escape-wheel into a carriage that made a full rotation every minute, compensating for the effect that gravity has on the regulating organ of the watch. Even for a Master-Watchmaker with the skill and genius of Breguet the tourbillon was hard to make in the early 1800’s and it wasn’t until 1806 that he first presented this invention to the public at the National Exhibition of Industrial Products in Paris. It received a warm welcome from Breguet’s loyal clientele, and up until his death in 1823, 35 watches and clocks containing a tourbillon were made by Breguet.

Today the tourbillon is a testimony of a watchmaker’s skill and expertise. An object of art that’s primary function is to counterbalance the natural force of gravity yet its secondary function is to effortlessly illustrate the beauty and detail of craftsmanship. The tourbillon still one of the most esteemed complications one can purchase and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

So, on June 26 we payed tribute to the genius that was Abraham-Louis Breguet and his perhaps most prestigious accomplishment: the invention of the tourbillon.