Breguet (Swatch Group) unveiled a new, exceptional double tourbillon. While appearing in the film "The Count of Monte Cristo" starring Pierre Niney (not yet released in Japan), Breguet CEO Lionel A Malca answered three questions about the importance of the Métiers d'Art and the "in-house" movements that form the core of Breguet's collections.
Edited by Takashi Tsuchida
[Article published on January 11, 2024]
250 Years of Breguet Tradition and the Innovation of the Double Tourbillon
MONTRES DE LUXE:Why is it important for Breguet to continue to be involved in forgotten crafts?
Lionel a Marca:If any brand should be its guardian, it must be Breguet, with 250 years of savoir-faire. Abraham-Louis Breguet is the man who gave birth to modern watchmaking.
When the Swatch Group acquired Breguet, Nicolas G. Hayek shone a spotlight on guilloching, a technique that was nearly forgotten at the time, but today Breguet has the largest guilloching workshop in the watch industry.
We also train our craftsmen in-house, because some métiers d'art skills are no longer taught in schools. This heritage is essential for preserving watchmaking for the future.
MONTRES DE LUXE:We've talked about the Métiers d'Art, but Breguet is also known as a watchmaker that produces the movements themselves. What are your thoughts on that?
Lionel a Marca:Breguet produces all of its manufacture movements in its own workshops in the Vallée de Joux.
Meanwhile, the High Complications workshop has dedicated craftsmen who specialise in the creation of calibres such as tourbillons, equations of time and minute repeaters, which require extensive experience.
Breguet also has a restoration workshop for old watches, utilizing techniques from the past. This exceptional skill is necessary because we want to show respect for our customers and for the history that Breguet represents.
MONTRES DE LUXE:In 1801, Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced a pocket watch equipped with a tourbillon, which defies the Earth's gravity while offering greater precision. Today, this mechanism is no longer associated with the precision of a watch, but why do you think it continues to fascinate people?
Lionel a Marca:I think it's the beauty and artistry of watchmaking, and the expertise behind it that fascinates people.
Watching a tourbillon in action is like watching a beating heart. And the timepiece is an object of desire. Our goal is to keep you fascinated and dreaming. What a wonderful challenge, isn't it?
