Breguet's efforts to preserve the guilloché decorative technique that has been passed down since the 18th century

Guilloching was first introduced to watchmaking by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1786. The technique has been preserved through generations of Breguet and continues to be passed down to the present day. This is achieved through a variety of methods, including not only the passing on of skills by artisans, but also the restoration of old guilloching lathes and the development and research of new patterns.

Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced the guilloching technique to the watch industry

　On the first floor of the Breguet boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris, France, there is an old machine. It is a guilloché lathe made in 1820. It is a tool familiar to watchmakers, and has been used to create beautiful dials since the brand was founded in the 18th century. Guilloching is a technique that was first introduced to the watch industry by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the founder of Breguet, in 1786.

　Located in Lorient, a small village on Lake Joux in Switzerland, the company's workshop specializes in Métiers d'Art, where around 20 artisans work on guilloched lathes, turning everything from vintage models to the latest models and specially commissioned pieces.

　The workshop is bathed in soft light and is quiet in summer and winter. The careful and precise work remains unchanged for centuries. Craftsmen bend over their machines, concentrating on the work at hand. The only sounds in the workshop are the sounds of machines operating and the faint ticking of cams.

　Before we go any further, let's clarify that guilloche is a decoration applied using a machine, which creates circles or lines by carving away various straight or curved lines from the material.

　Parallel or intersecting grooves, also known as guilloche grooves, create recurring decorative motifs. Although this technique requires machinery, it would be a mistake to classify it as an industrial process. Guilloching is artisanal in that it is entirely controlled by hand.

　The left hand operates the crank of the machine, while the right hand holds the fixed burin (carving knife).This delicate task requires long experience and skill.

Functional properties of guilloching

　Originally, Abraham-Louis Breguet was interested in the appearance of the case, such as the finish and tactile feel that this technology would provide.

　But what attracted him most were its functional properties: the guilloching separated the various displays, such as the main dial, small seconds, and power reserve, and improved the visibility of the dial by reducing reflections.

　In time, the application of guilloching became so important to Abraham-Louis Breguet that it is no exaggeration to say that it helped define the "Breguet style."

　The contrast on the dial made it possible to use the elegant Baroque-style hands, with hollowed-out circular tips, now known as "Breguet hands," which proved a great success.

　From the early 19th century, Breguet focused on enamel dials over guilloched ones, but the company carefully preserved this decorative technique and recognized it as a distinguishing feature of the Maison. Silver-plated gold guilloched dials marked "Swiss hand-guilloched" are featured in the majority of the company's contemporary collections.

Program to protect the guilloché

　To preserve this tradition, which is on the verge of disappearing, Breguet has launched a program that is unique in the watch industry.

　Over the past few years, Breguet has been acquiring vintage guilloching machines. They are restored in-house and then sent to boutiques around the world for educational purposes. As mentioned earlier, the oldest, dating back to the 1820s, is located at 6 Place Vendôme in Paris, and can be viewed by appointment.

　The company is also actively introducing new guilloche lathes, which, although based on the same principles as conventional machines, are ergonomically designed, equipped with microscopes for excellent lighting conditions, and capable of meeting the high standards of precision required today.

　The company currently has around 30 guilloché lathes, which allow Breguet's craftsmen, true experts, to create a wide variety of motifs, including "clous de Paris," "paniers," and "flammé."

　Of course, guilloching is not limited to existing motifs. For this reason, the factory has set up a research and production workshop to devise and propose new techniques. New motifs are also being created, such as the wave pattern used in the Marine collection.

　Originally, guilloché was used to decorate furniture parts, small boxes, blouse buttons, etc. made from wood, ivory, soft stone, horn, mother-of-pearl, etc. The history of guilloché is said to date back to the 16th century, but its origins are unknown.

　This delicate and beautiful decorative technique quickly spread, and in the jewelry industry it made great advances in the 18th century.

　Delicate guilloched motifs were applied to the backs of mirrors, dressing tables, silverware, etc. At the Palace of Versailles, the Count of Artois, brother of King Louis XVI, even had his own lathe.

　In this context, Abraham-Louis Breguet became interested in guilloching and saw new possibilities in watchmaking.