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Breguet and the Ottoman Empire 36 6 6 Dear Friends of Breguet In this Issue we celebrate two important pillars of our in a planned series, shows how today we have used Breguet heritage which have endured since our founding cutting edge technology to achieve timekeeping perfor- in 1775. First, of course, the legacy of invention. Connois- mance which never could have been imagined even two seurs know of the landmark advances developed by decades ago. Abraham-Louis Breguet such as the tourbillon, the pare- The second pillar of our inheritance is aesthetic. How chute anti-shock system, sounding rings for repeaters, the many designs can claim not just relevance but vibrancy Breguet overcoil and more. In this issue we examine two and life 200 years from when they first debuted? We take a of our modern interpretations of the tourbillon in the look at Breguet’s signature pomme hands, guilloché deco- article devoted to the Double Tourbillon and the Tourbillon ration, numerals and more in our devoted to the aesthetic Messidor. However, our innovation patrimony goes far codes article. deeper than modernizing Breguet’s historic inventions. Emmanuel Breguet, our historian, and Professor Marie- We see it as one that impels us to expand the frontiers of Hélène Huet bring us two exciting historical accounts. watchmaking with new breakthroughs, which is what Breguet’s initiatives in the Turkish market at the opening Abraham-Louis Breguet’s original technological creations of the 19th century, and the fascinating tales of the Place really represented in his era. Our article entitled “Tech- Vendôme in Paris where one of Breguet’s flagship boutiques nology on the Workbench: Silicium”, which is the first is found today. Yours sincerely, Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO, Montres Breguet SA 2 3 CONTENT Content 1. The Aesthetic Codes of Breguet 6 2. Technology On The Workbench: Silicium 20 3. Breguet and the Ottoman Empire 36 4. Double Tourbillon and Tourbillon Messidor 52 5. The Art of Jewelry 72 6. Dreams of Architects: Place Vendôme 90 4 5 THE AESTHETIC CODES OF BREGUET The AESTHETIC CODES of Breguet By Jeffrey S. Kingston ◆ Breguet No. 4691, sold on October 13th, 1831. 6 7 THE AESTHETIC CODES OF BREGUET n many settings one often speaks of designs that are “timeless”. Of course, that would I be an unfortunate choice of words if the setting happens to be timepieces. That aside, it can safely be said that, to a greater degree than any other watchmaker who has ever lived, founder Abraham-Louis Breguet’s eye for refined aesthetics led him to create designs that have withstood the test of 200 years to remain as vibrant and vital as when they debuted. More than that, his aesthetic codes have been honored by countless trainees from his workshop and competitors who have adopted, imitated and copied them. Indeed, in many cases the design language which he pioneered speaks so powerfully that others who have followed with their imitations, far from disguising that which they have copied, call out the name “Breguet” in describing what they have done. Watchmaking parlance, thus, speaks of “Breguet numerals”, “Breguet hands” and “Breguet dials”. ◆ ◆ ◆ Unfortunately, we are deprived of essays, notes or even of matt and polished metal, which distinguishes our pieces, design trials that would expressly reveal Breguet’s thought cannot be well shown with the printing of lines and a geomet- processes as he developed his many signature elements. How- ric drawing which is hardly flattering.” ever, there are insights which appeared in 1822 in what almost certainly was the first watch catalog ever produced. En- “Elegance”, “proportions”, “delicacy”, “refinement” all play titled “Horlogerie pour l’usage civil, Chronomètres Portatifs, key roles in his designs. Horloges Marines et Astronomiques, et Autres Instruments d’Observation” (“Watchmaking For Civil Use, Portable Chro- nometers, Marine Clocks and Astronomic and Other Observa- ◆ BREGUET HANDS tory Instruments”), the catalog set out options which were then being offered to Breguet’s clients. We have a glimpse into his What is extraordinary is how his sensibilities led him to design philosophy from the preamble: revolutionize completely and depart radically from what were the norms of his time. Consider for a moment his signature “The elegance of the forms, the choice and the proportions “pomme” hands. Today, of course, everybody refers to this of the case side fluting, the effect of the rounding of the case hand design as “Breguet hands”. At the time, the practice was sides and the slightly bombe crystal, the delicacy of the guil- to outfit timepieces with ornate, heavy, baroque hands. Finely loché on the dials and the refinement of the hands, the mixing drawn, either blued steel or gold hands, with a delicate, slightly ◆ Classique Chronométrie Ref. 7727. 8 9 THE AESTHETIC CODES OF BREGUET off-centered orb near the tip represented no less than a sweep- ing aside of the standards of his day and, once Breguet created this design, neither he nor, thereafter, his son departed from it. ◆ GUILLOCHÉ It is true that Breguet did not invent guilloché decoration which enjoyed popularity as means of embellishing a wide variety of objects, including wooden pieces. He was, however, the first to bring guilloché to the face of a timepiece. As he described it in his catalog, there was “delicacy” in the way guil- loché was applied and he used it both on silver and gold dials. There were two practical sides to his adoption of guilloché decoration: first, enhanced legibility and second, with variation in the patterns, definition of different zones or sectors on the dials delineating the indications offered by the timepiece. As ◆ Breguet No. 3448, sold on July 12 th, 1820. well, the delicacy of the guilloché patterns enabled his use of the thin, understated Breguet hands as there was no need for bolder contrast between dial and hands. BREGUET WAS THE FIRST TO BRING GUILLOCHÉ TO THE FACE OF A TIMEPIECE. In his own words, he saw that there was “delicacy” in the way that guilloché was applied and he used it on both silver and gold dials. ◆ Classique “Réveil du Tsar” Ref. 5707. 10 11 THE AESTHETIC CODES OF BREGUET ◆ BREGUET DIAL AND NUMERALS Not all of Breguet’s dials were guilloché, as white enamel was employed for many of his uncomplicated pieces; naturally, as fine guilloché carving served not only to decorate a dial but to define the zones for complicated indications, enamel was not generally employed for those watches that offered functions extending beyond time display. Often with his use of enamel came another signature element: Breguet numerals. Generally, for his guilloché dials, Breguet favored pairing with Roman numerals. With enamel dials, however, his practice was to use Arabic numerals, done with a deft touch. Inclined slightly, neither squared nor script in shape, slightly fanciful but purposeful at the same time, his design was easily legible without being overbearing. There are no wordy descriptions used in the modern watchmaking world for these numerals; today they are universally called “Breguet”. ◆ Breguet No. 1287, sold on August 5th, 1803. BREGUET’S UNIQUE STYLE FOR ARABIC NUMERALS ENDURES TODAY. So respected and timeless is his design that the watch world universally refers to them as “Breguet numerals”. ◆ Classique Ref. 7787. 12 13 THE AESTHETIC CODES OF BREGUET ◆ BREGUET WINDOWS AND OFF-CENTERED TIME DISPLAY To avoid cluttering the appearance of the watch face with too many hands, Abraham-Louis Breguet had the idea, both inspirational and novel, to use small windows (“guichets”) for some of the indications on a watch dial. Even though some large clocks had employed windows to show the phase of the moon and certain other astronomical indications, Abraham- Louis Breguet was a pioneer in bringing this style to the smaller dimensions of watches. Certainly, the moon phase was one in- dication implemented with a window in Breguet’s watches, but, as well, he used small windows for dates, months, days of the week, even the adjustment of the running rate of the watch. Abraham-Louis Breguet was partial to one other aesthetic ◆ Breguet No. 3833, sold on May 12th, 1823. dimension of dial design: off centered display of the time. The first timepiece with an off-center display debuted in 1812. It was followed by many of his most celebrated creations and, as well, those of his son. Breguet created several variations of TWO DESIGN ELEMENTS ARE REFLECTED the theme with the time display located above, below or to the IN MANY OF BREGUET’S MOST CELEBRATED side of the center of the dial. By moving the time display off center, Abraham-Louis’ innovation not only achieved an har- TIMEPIECES: SMALL WINDOWS AND monious arrangement of indications and added visual interest, OFF-CENTERED TIME DISPLAY. it opened the door to new arrangements of the watch’s func- These elements allowed display of additional tions. Inheriting this DNA are many models of the modern Breguet collections. indications without undue clutter and balanced the appearance of the dial. ◆ Classique Ref. 7337. 14 15 THE AESTHETIC CODES OF BREGUET ◆ PROPORTION AND FLUTING Perhaps not properly called a design element as such, but certainly characteristic of his approach and sensibilities, Abraham-Louis Breguet departed from convention in the manner in which dial and case were proportioned. His watches maximized the diameter of the dial and minimized the thickness of the surrounding bezel. Not only did this enhance legibility in that greater room was created for the indications, but it lightened the overall appearance of the timepiece. Today’s Classique Collection adopts the same philosophy for the identical reasons, which remain as valid as they were two centuries ago. The cases themselves, naturally, did not escape his stud- ◆ Breguet No.
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