On June 26, 1801, a momentous horological event occurred when Abraham-Louis Breguet was issued a patent for his tourbillon regulator. The history of time has always centered on precision timing and watchmakers over the centuries have developed means to combat the multitude of factors affecting it, including temperature and magnetism, position and gravity. Breguet sought to minimize gravity’s effects when he observed it greatly influenced the delicate workings of the heart of the watch, the escapement. The tourbillon is a rotating cage within which the escapement is mounted. As it rotates, the positional errors of the movement are averaged out improving the overall precision of the watch. While the patent was issued in 1801, it was not until 1805 that commercialized examples became available, and it has remained over the last 200 years very much the same as when Breguet first revealed it.

The tourbillon is one of the most sought after complications found on watches today, attractive both for the elegance of its design and technical innovation. The present skeletonized wristwatch is iconic Breguet with classic clean lines. The watch has both form and function for it not only tells time, but can also be considered a work of art. The highly engraved skeletonized mechanical movement allows for the tourbillon to shine through and be viewed from all angles. The design is enhanced by the twenty second arched counter at 6 o’clock, which is brilliantly read via the three prong seconds hand attached to the one minute tourbillon cage. The watch makes a wonderful timepiece for special events and is a lovely example of centuries old craftsmanship and mechanical mastery.