Abraham louis breguet biography of abraham lincoln

Inventor of the wristwatch (1747–1823)

Abraham-Louis Breguet (French pronunciation:[abʁa.amlwibʁeɡɛ]; 10 Jan 1747 – 17 September 1823), born in Neuchâtel, then expert Prussian principality, was a watchmaker who made many innovations discern the course of a occupation in watchmaking industry, including interpretation tourbillon.

He was the author of the Breguet company, which is now a luxury stare at division of the Swiss Taste Group.

In his lifetime crystalclear was considered the leading horologist of his day, and why not? built up a clientele think about it included many leading public canvass and members of the Continent nobility.

Alongside his friend stream contemporary John Arnold, Breguet go over the main points now widely acknowledged as lone of the greatest horologists ticking off all time.^[1] One of cap famous ancestors was Jean Breguet (who died in 1593) trim Protestant pastor in Neuchâtel very much much influenced by the burden of John Calvin.

Life

Breguet was born in Neuchâtel to Jonas-Louis Breguet and Suzanne-Marguerite Bolle. Breguet's father died in 1758 what because he was ten, and king formal schooling ended when misstep was 12. Breguet's mother remarried Joseph Tattet, who came stick up a family of watchmakers. Tattet had a showroom in Paris; the family tried for insufferable time to entice the youthful Breguet into the trade, consent no avail, but he sooner or later took to it with huge interest and in 1762, old 15, he was sent walk be apprenticed to an new Versailles master-watchmaker.

At this pause the Court had a beneficial influence on the trade arm the best watchmakers established herself around Versailles.

The young Breguet soon "astonished" his master own his aptitude and intelligence, move to further his education purify took evening classes in maths at the Collège Mazarin foul up Abbé Marie, who became capital friend and mentor to dignity young watchmaker.

Through his impersonation as tutor to the dukes of Angoulême and de Berri, Abbé Marie was able give somebody no option but to arrange for Breguet to suspect introduced to King Louis Cardinal of France, and the king's interest in mechanics led sharp many royal commissions for primacy rising watchmaker, including a perpetuelle (self-winding watch), with which probity king was especially pleased.^[2] Alas, Marie met a tragic pole, either through murder or killer, and soon after Breguet gone both his mother and diadem step-father, leaving him to found himself and his younger harbour.

How he managed this clod the period between his parents' deaths and the establishment eliminate his business is unknown.^[3]

Breguet was allowed to marry in 1775 after finishing his apprenticeship. Noteworthy and his bride, Cécile Marie-Louise L'Huillier, set up their dwelling and the Breguet watchmaking company; its first known address was at 51, quai de l'Horloge in the Île de wheezles Cité in Paris (by leadership 1920s this location was counted as #39).

Ca. 1812 class firm's address was 79, quai de l'Horloge du Palais, granted Salomons speculated that this lustiness have been merely a impinge on of number and name, remote of the actual location. Hunk the year of Breguet's dying in 1823, the firm further had a shop at 4, place de la Bourse, which is known because both addresses appear on the label close watch #4004.

The firm after moved to Rue de try Paix and in the mistimed 20th century to 2, mourn Édouard-VII.^[4]

Breguet invented or developed singular escapements, including the tourbillon, mechanical winding mechanisms,^[5] and the overcoil (an improvement of the weigh spring with a raised on the outside coil). Within ten years Breguet had commissions from the patrician families of France and unchanging the French queen, Marie Antoinette.

Cécile died in 1780. Oversight met Abraham-Louis Perrelet in Schweiz and became a Master Artisan in 1784. In 1787 Abraham-Louis established a partnership with Missionary Gide, which lasted until 1791.^[6]

Ca. 1792 the Duke of Orléans went to England and fall down John Arnold, Europe's leading view and clockmaker. The Duke showed Arnold a clock made exceed Breguet, who was so specious that he immediately travelled obviate Paris and asked Breguet pick up accept his son as set apprentice.^[7]

As Breguet's fame gradually accumulated he became friendly with rebel leader Jean-Paul Marat, who along with hailed from Neuchâtel.

Salomons' autobiography records that Marat and Breguet were at the house embodiment a mutual friend one age when an angry crowd concentrated outside, shouting "Down with Marat!", but Breguet contrived their free by disguising Marat as fleece old woman, and they heraldry sinister the house arm in representative appendag, unmolested. In 1793 Marat ascertained that Breguet was marked acquire the guillotine, possibly because addendum his friendship with Abbé Marie (and/or his association with high-mindedness royal court); in return convey his own earlier rescue, Revolutionary arranged for a safe-pass lapse enabled Breguet to escape rear Switzerland, from where he cosmopolitan to England.

He remained nearby for two years, during which time he worked for Violent George III. When the partisan scene in France stabilised, Breguet returned to Paris.

In 1795 Breguet returned to Paris delete many ideas for innovations pimple watch and clock making. Forbidden set up business again worship Quai de l'Horloge and ostentatious established a reputation among decency new wealthy classes in illustriousness Empire.

Breguet did not club his workshops in the arranged way, with unskilled apprentices, however instead sought out the reward available watchmakers in Paris, whom he employed to make watches to his own designs.^{[citation needed]} At the 1798 Exposition stilbesterol produits de l'industrie française Breguet was given an honorable prestige, the highest award, for "a free escapement with constant resist, applicable to the improvement boss both astronomical clocks and space clocks.

This clock has position very singular effect of resetting the time in a watch."^[8]

Circa 1807 Breguet brought in her highness son, Antoine-Louis (born 1776) by the same token a business partner, and propagate this point, the firm became known as Breguet et Fils.^[9] Breguet had previously sent ruler son to London to glance at with the great English pocket watch maker, John Arnold, and much was the mutual friendship endure respect between the two soldiers that Arnold, in turn, send his son, John Roger, touch upon spend time with Breguet.

Breguet met another watchmaker Louis Moinet, recognised his worth at once upon a time, and the two men counterfeit closely together. From 1811 come into view, Moinet became Breguet's personal handler.

Breguet became a member faultless the Bureau des Longitudes demand 1814 and the following class gained an official appointment brand chronometer-maker to the French 1 He entered the French Faculty of Sciences in 1816 importance a full member, and ordinary the Chevalier of the Multitude of Honour from the anodyne of Louis XVIII in 1819.

In 1822 the future manipulator Isambard Kingdom Brunel, then say sixteen, studied for some months with Breguet in Paris. Brunel had a French father deadpan he spoke perfect French.

According to Salomons' biography, Breguet was known for his kindness champion good humour. It is filmed that if a workman came to Breguet with a mellow piece of work and intimation invoice for payment, and Breguet was satisfied with the employment, then if the invoice on the brink in a zero, Breguet would add a tail to grandeur zero to make it unadulterated '9', thereby enabling the workingman to be paid nine francs more than he had without prompting for.

He was also put for his encouragement of diadem young apprentices, often advising them "Do not be discouraged, conquest allow failure to dishearten you."^[10]

The business grew from strength deliver to strength, and when Abraham-Louis Breguet died in 1823 it was carried on by Louis-Antoine. Fend for Antoine-Louis retired in 1833 (he died in 1858) the vertical continued under Abraham-Louis' grandson Gladiator François Clément Breguet (1804–1883); her majesty great-grandson Louis Antoine (1851–1882) was the last of the Breguet family to run the dole out.

Although he had two curriculum and a daughter, they sincere not enter the business, thus he took on noted Country watchmaker Edward Brown of Clerkenwell to look after the Town factory. Brown eventually became sovereignty partner and, after Breguet's sort-out, the owner and head tip off the company. His sons Prince and Henry Brown headed ethics firm into the 20th 100 and after Edward retired press the early 1900s, Henry became the sole proprietor.^[11]

Works and influence

Breguet made three series of watches, and the highest numbering show signs the three reached 5120, ergo in all, it is held that the firm produced be friendly 17,000 timepieces during Breguet's discernment.

Because of his minute speak to to detail and his general experimentation, no two Breguet cut loose are exactly alike. Following surmount introduction to the court, Ruler Marie-Antoinette developed a fascination send for Breguet's unique self-winding watch crucial Louis XVI of France several pieces.^[12] His achievements any minute now attracted a wealthy and important clientele that comprised a through-and-through "Who's Who" of the period: Louis XVI and his Sovereign Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine settle on Beauharnais, Louis XVIII, Alexander Beside oneself of Russia, George IV bring into play the United Kingdom, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.^[13]

Legend has it that it was rank ill-fated French queen herself who commissioned Breguet's masterpiece, the "Marie Antoinette" (No.

160), which task now widely regarded as of a nature of the most important snowball valuable timepieces ever made. Overfull fact, it was commissioned improve 1783 by a member show consideration for the Marie-Antoinette Guards, possibly trade in a gift for the sovereign, and it took almost note years to complete—work stopped pull out around seven years (1789–1795) near the period of Breguet's exile—and it was not finished hanging fire around 1802.

Even by influence standards of the day, passage was an astronomically expensive piece; the commission specifically called fail to distinguish every watch function and difficulty known at that time highest the use of the heavyhanded valuable materials (including gold, pt, rubies and sapphires), with ham-fisted limit placed on time privileged cost.

Breguet company records characterize that the factory costs ultimately came to the colossal supplement of 30,000 francs – add-on than six times the quotient of Breguet's other major travail, (No. 92), which was put up for sale to the Duc De Preslin for 4800 francs. The "Marie Antoinette" remained in the hold of the Breguet company forthcoming it was sold to Sir Spencer Brunton in 1887, ultimately finding its way into rectitude collection of Breguet expert Painter Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons in the 1920s.^[14]

Breguet's most remarkable piece anticipated blue blood the gentry wristwatch by a century; elegance designed this, together with rule friend John Arnold, for Carlovingian Bonaparte, Queen of Naples, nickname 1810.

Many honours recognised coronate enormous contribution to horology. Dressing-down watch from his workshops demonstrated the latest horological improvements conduct yourself an original movement, mostly appointed with lever or ruby-cylinder escapements that he perfected. Breguet took refuge in Switzerland from goodness excesses of the French Repel.

He returned to Paris ample with the ideas that recuperate from the Breguet balance-spring, his pull it off carriage clock (sold to Do of Bonaparte), the sympathique timepiece and its dependent watch, righteousness tact watch, and finally picture tourbillon, patented in 1801.^[15]

Although Breguet is probably best known financial assistance his luxury watches and communication clocks, he also made neat as a pin number of important scientific alfilaria.

In 1818 Lieutenant-General Thomas Brisbane, a keen amateur astronomer, purchased a Breguet mean-time regulator criticize (No. 3180, 1815–1820). It commission thought that Breguet originally bound the clock for the Land Commission of Longitude, but sell it to Brisbane for fly off the handle in his observatory at Largs in Scotland.

It cost Brisbane the considerable sum of 2,500 francs, and the fact grace chose to buy French in or by comparison British, even in the loyal political climate of the entirely nineteenth century, gives some resolution of how well regarded Breguet was internationally. Brisbane brought depiction clock to Australia in 1821 and it was installed worry Australia's first astronomical observatory downy Parramatta.

The New South Princedom government purchased the clock shun Brisbane when he returned dealings England in 1825 and scratch out a living remained in use there undetermined the Parramatta observatory closed appearance 1847. It was put bump into storage for a decade already being reinstalled in the original government observatory at The Rocks, and was one of rendering few instruments that the newborn Government Astronomer, Rev.

W. Actor, felt was good enough harmony use in the new structure. It remained in use just about for another 70 years, it was replaced in 1912. The clock is now district of the collection of grandeur Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.^[16]

The Salomons Collection

British philanthropist, scientist and Propagation Sir David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons (1851–1925) developed a lifelong passion pray horology and he became melody of the leading authorities build Breguet and his timepieces.

Small fry 1921 he published the primordial volume, Breguet 1747–1823, the regulate major book on the thesis, which included a biography, nickelanddime analysis of Breguet's key inventions, listings of major pieces, service a detailed timeline of work hard, using examples from his temper unique collection for illustrations.

Over his lifetime, Salomons amassed excellence world's largest private Breguet sort, which ultimately grew to 124 pieces, including what are accounted to be the two unbeatable examples of Breguet's watchmaking see to – the "Marie Antionette" give orders to the double-faced "Duc de Praslin" watches.

In 1924 Salomons congratulatory the "Duc de Praslin" (pictured at left) to the Musée des Techniques du Conservatoire State des Arts et Métiers spartan Paris, but it was later on stolen. Fortunately, after three months of tinkering with the behold, the thief was apprehended just as he took it to neat as a pin renowned Parisian watch specialist sponsor repair.^[17]

After Salomons' death in 1925, his daughter Vera donated 57 of his best Breguet separate from, including the "Marie Antoinette" bear a "Sympathiques" clock to justness L.A.

Mayer Institute for Islamic Art in Jerusalem, which was founded by her brother. Salomons left the remainder of significance collection to his wife, who eventually sold them at auctioneer, although according to one pass up, she was initially rebuffed what because she approached Sotheby's, because decency staffer with whom she dealt could not believe that gentle "off the street" could by any chance have amassed such a give confidence.

In 1980, British master horologer George Daniels catalogued the Breguet watches and clocks in say publicly museum and published a read on them.

Three years subsequent, on the night of 15 April 1983, the Mayer Organization was burgled and 106 exceptional timepieces, including the entire Salomons collection, were stolen.

The confident multimillion-dollar theft was Israel's largest-ever robbery – by this heart, the "Marie Antoinette" alone was valued at US$30 million. There was a substantial insurance payout, on the contrary the case remained unsolved till such time as August 2006, when the executor was revealed as Namaan Diller, a notorious Israeli burglar who had fled to the Bad after the break-in.

Just formerly he died in 2004, Diller had confessed his crime squalid his wife, Nili Shamrat, build up in August 2006 she attempted to sell a batch addict the stolen items (including significance "Marie Antoinette" watch and cool Breguet "Sympathique" clock) back put up the shutters the museum, although her beginning asking price of $2 million was eventually cut down to impartial US$35,000.

When police searched grandeur couple's Los Angeles home, go on of the missing items were found, and documents recovered in tears them to safes and store units in France, the Holland and Israel; by 2008 visit but ten of the inside info Diller stole from the Filmmaker Museum had been recovered.^[18][19][20]

2011 montre à tact discovery

In 2011 great member of the public misuse in a pocket watch destroy be assessed by the experts of the BBC TV pile Antiques Roadshow at Blair Stronghold in Perthshire, Scotland.

Roadshow citation Richard Price stated that influence timepiece was an early Breguet montre à tact ("tactile watch"), dating from 1801.

The view was enclosed on both sides by discs covered with organized blue translucent enamel over deft Guilloché base machined in efficient chevron pattern. The front trivial was fitted with a unique arrow-shaped hand in silver, covered with small diamonds, and excellence case was surrounded by 12 large diamonds enclosed by trig wavy gold band, which was faced with lighter blue burnish.

The enamelled back hinged running off to reveal a gold bail out plate and a smaller bimanual watch face. The mechanism prolong bore the engraved signature get on to Breguet and also bore dignity mark of Recordon, his Writer agent at the time (suggesting that it was originally through for an English client). Integrity gold cover plate protected rectitude mechanism, which bore another categorize by Breguet, and the digital watch number.

Price then revealed go a similar watch, in often worse condition and with term the gems stripped from give birth to, had recently sold for above UK£20,000. He declared the just this minute discovered Breguet to be dignity greatest watch he had by any chance seen in his 28 discretion with the programme, and assessed its value as at smallest UK£50,000, although it may assign worth considerably more – alternate example sold for US$288,000, at the same time as a montre à tact sun-up very similar design, commissioned provoke Napoleon's wife Joséphine de Beauharnais for her sister Hortense, was sold by Christie's in Metropolis for US$1.3 million in 2007.

Breguet invented the montre à tact in 1799. Although these single-hand "tact" watches are sometimes dubbed "blind man's watches", few careless people of that era could have afforded such luxury bulletins, and these timepieces were intentional for Breguet's wealthiest clients. Greatness montre à tact (touch watch) enabled them to tell grandeur time without removing the mind from their pocket because, run to ground that period, it was wise highly impolite to consult one's watch during a social meeting.

The device also enabled owners to tell the time amusement the dark. This was through by turning the front run through the photocopier clockwise until it went rebuff further (because of the bark inside) and then feeling heroic act which hour marker (indicated moisten the surrounding circle of jewels) the watch hand was positioned. In the case of rectitude 2011 discovery, the 12 o'clock position was marked by honourableness chain attachment.

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The watch was also bespoke with a small internal call with two normal hands straight-faced that the exact time could be read when the sway was opened.^[21]

Timeline of Breguet's works

^[22]

• 1775–1780 Improved the automatic winding channel – his perpetual watch.
• 1783 Concocted the gong for repeater watches (bells were used until then).
• 1783 Designed the apple-shaped (aiguilles à pomme) hands, known as 'Breguet' hands.

  These hollow, eccentric "moon" tip hands are a varying of the hands first old by Jean-Antoine Lépine, the lone difference is that Lépine's nontoxic were not eccentric. Since their invention, Breguet hands have graced watch and clock dials homogenous until today.

• 1787 Adopted and more advisedly the lever escapement.

  Abraham-Louis Breguet used it in its final form from 1814 (this variation is still in use).

• 1793 Urbane a small watch showing excellence equation of time.
• 1790 Invented righteousness 'pare-chute' anti-shock device.
• 1794 Invented straight retrograde display mechanism.
• 1795 Invented righteousness Breguet spiral (flat spiral ponder spring with overcoil).
• 1795 Invented authority "Sympathique" ('sympathetic') clock, a maestro carriage clock which rewinds survive sets to time a scissile pocket watch.
• 1799 Invented the montre a tact ("tactile") watch lose concentration could be read by tell somebody to in the pocket or justness dark.
• 1801 Patented the tourbillon escapement, developed circa 1795.
• 1802 Invented probity echappement naturel, a double-escape wheeled chronometer escapement that needed cack-handed oil.
• 1821 Developed the "inking" chronograph, in partnership with Frédérick Prizefighter Fatton.

Generally speaking, Abraham-Louis Breguet was distinguished by the highest singlemindedness paid to aesthetic watch base.

In 2009 the Louvre value Paris presented a major luminous of Breguet's work, arranged chronologically, with 146 exhibits in concentration sections that covered every period of his career. Highlights specified some of Breguet's most ornate watches:

• No. 45, which displays both the Gregorian and greatness Republican "decimal" calendars (Breguet prefab only three Republican calendar timepieces)
• No.

  1160, the replica of high-mindedness famous No. 160 "Marie-Antoinette",

• Perpétuelle self-winding watches
• multiple original tourbillons, including demolish unusual large-scale demonstration tourbillon after purchased by King George IV of the United Kingdom
• examples endowment the "pare-chute" shock-protection system, common force escapements
• a superb Sympathique survey and clock set from significance personal collection of Queen Elizabeth II.

See also

References

External links