Louis Abraham Breguet, watchmaking genius: Life story

Abraham Louis Breguet (born January 10, 1747 in Neuchâtel ; died September 17, 1823 in Paris ) was a French watchmaker and mechanic , originally from Neuchâtel. He manufactured double astronomical clocks , double chronometers , marine chronometers , sympathetic pendulums, and metallic thermometers .

Breguet learned the watchmaking trade in Neuchâtel and Versailles , then studied mathematics in Paris, and in 1775 laid the foundation for the Breguet watch manufactory, which still exists today, by opening a workshop. In 1783, he received a commission to make a watch for Marie Antoinette . He also made watches for Tsar Nicholas II , the Duke of Orléans, the King of England, and Napoleon , who is said to have recommended the master watchmaker to his officers. ^{[ 1 ]} In 1810, he built the world's first wristwatch for Queen Caroline Bonaparte of Naples. From 1816, he was a member of the Académie des sciences . ^{[ 2 ]}

Abraham Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon, the Breguet overcoil , and the parachute shock protection system. He developed a new escapement system , the natural escapement, and produced watches for the blind. He also invented the sympathetic pendulum, in which the pocket watch is automatically synchronized with a highly precise master clock.

Even today, watches from his factory are highly valued and are marked with a special signature. ^{[ 3 ]}

His grandson , Louis Clément François Breguet (1808–1883), continued the business in Paris, primarily supplying chronometers for astronomical and nautical purposes. He conducted research on the speed of light and sound, on induction and the electric telegraph, and built a widely used pointer telegraph .

Source: Wikipedia