Breguet

Founded in 1775 in Paris by Abraham-Louis Breguet, considered one of the most brilliant inventors in the history of mechanical watchmaking and official supplier to European royal courts (including Queen Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte). Since 1999 it has been part of the Swatch Group and operates from its workshops in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.

Breguet holds the largest number of fundamental patents and technical innovations in the modern watchmaking industry. Among its standout creations are the invention of the Tourbillon mechanism (patented in 1801 to counteract the effects of gravity on the accuracy of pocket watches), the design of the hollow ring-tipped hands known worldwide as "Breguet hands", and the creation of the first wristwatch in history, manufactured in 1810 for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples.

As a distinctive security and authenticity feature against counterfeits, Abraham-Louis Breguet himself introduced a secret signature engraved with a diamond tip directly onto the enamel dial in 1795, visible only under a specific light angle—a detail that original pieces from the manufacture still incorporate into their current collections.