Breguet’s revolution in time

There will be talks later in the afternoon about a superstar watchmaker, as well as satellite discussions about Napoleon, Marie Antoinette and world-historical shoppers… but first I need to see this. 

Lucerne managing director Emerson Yao sounds excited: something’s cookin’ or is afoot, thus his revolution-in-the-air tone.

Encased in glass is a Breguet. The brand has set a new milestone in watch-making history by using magnetism to improve the precision and the reliability of its timepiece. With what is dubbed as the Magnetic Pivot, the engineers and watchmakers of the Manufacture Breguet “have not only mastered the negative effects of magnetism in a mechanical watch, they have also managed to harness them to significantly improve the pivoting, rotation and stability of the balance staff.”

Yao explains, “It is in a floating system, nothing holds it down, virtually no friction — thus the accuracy is impressive.”

Breguet watchmakers have designed a stable system using two endstones incorporating powerful micro-magnets that keep the balance staff centered and self-adjusting — whatever the position of the watch is. One of these magnets is stronger than the other to create a magnetic gradient.

Martin Ganz, the vice president of Breguet division of The Swatch Group, says, “Basically the idea is to create a watch that is the most accurate mechanical watch ever made.”

Why magnets, Ganz rhetorically asks. Why use them at all when they are known as the worst enemy of mechanical watches? Put your watch on top of a loudspeaker and it won’t be running smoothly. It doesn’t kill the watch, so to speak, but it becomes either too fast or too slow.

How the brand is able to harness the power of magnetism is by the use of a surprise material. Key parts are all made from silicon. “They’re not for implants (laughs),” Ganz points out, adding that silicon is actually sand (silica). The negative effects of magnetism in a watch are cleverly balanced-out with the silicon double-balance spring, palette lever and escape wheel. The new technology of using silicon parts also allows the frequency of a watch to increase, enabling the measurement of 1/20 of a second. Hmm… innovation really is in the — pardon the pun — bosom of this Swiss watch brand founded by legendary horologist Abraham-Louis Breguet.  

The man invented the “para-chute” anti-shock device in 1790, inspiring a generation of watchmakers. Legend has it that Abraham-Louis, in front of a crowd of spectators, took out his pocket watch and threw it to the ground. He then showed the stunned onlookers how his piece was undamaged by the impact. How theatrical. He also invented the flat spiral balance spring with over-coil (now known as the Breguet spiral) in 1795 and patented the tourbillon escapement in 1801, among other stellar achievements. His tourbillon regulator is something still considered a wonder in the world of watches. 

Martin states, “Abraham-Louis Breguet attracted the nobility during those times because they wanted to see something special. Today, with our technology, we have time everywhere — mobile phones, you name it. But the watch, still, is a major time-teller and a piece of art around somebody’s wrist.”

Napoleon, Marie Antoinette were Breguet fans

Ganz is visiting key cities in Asia — Taiwan, Macau and Manila — to talk about Breguet’s magnetic pivot. So, is he like a rock star on tour?

“No (laughs),” he dismisses. “I am just a watch salesman based in Hong Kong.”

 According to the Breguet executive who in his spare time plays Mozart piano sonatas and occasional rhythm & blues, Abraham-Louis Breguet was an artist — as much as a he was a gifted watchmaker and an inventor. “Thus, Breguet watches have that certain aesthetic appeal. The insides are another matter.”

Emerson Yao asks, “Can you say, Martin, that Breguet is a watch for royalty?”

“That is part of the DNA of the brand,” answers Ganz. “Because Abraham-Louis’ innovativeness attracted people like Marie Antoinette, a devoted fan. She visited his atelier in Paris and had watches custom-made. Other royals, aristocrats, and the cardinals soon followed. Abraham-Louis meticulously kept records. We even know what date Napoleon Bonaparte bought which watch or which clock.”  

 Even today, royals and heads of state sport Breguet watches such as King Juan Carlos and the Queen Elizabeth II. Eminent museums in the world have Breguets in their halls; the Louvre (10 restored Breguet beauties), the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Kremlin Museum, the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, and the British Museum all have an installation of timepieces or two.

“No museum collection is complete without Breguet — I’m not saying that because I sell Breguet watches,” Ganz concludes. “The brand is part of watch-making history.”

And in the last 11 or 12 years or so, Breguet has received more than 125 major patents — and still growing.

Talk about history being made every second.  

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Breguet is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Lucerne. Lucerne is at Glorietta 4 in Ayala Center and Level 2 of Shangri-La Plaza Mall.