Breguet likens brand innovations to Silicon Valley for museum exhibit

Swiss watchmaker Breguet has partnered with the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco to present horologists in the Bay Area the opportunity to learn more about the brand’s innovative works.

The exhibit, titled “Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking” opened on Sept. 19 at the California Palace at the Legion of Honor Museum, and will be opened through the new year, closing on Jan. 10. On display is the Swatch-owned watchmaker’s largest collection of antique timepieces ever shown to consumers in the Americas.

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Breguet gathered more than 70 pocket watches, clocks and horological instruments dating back to the time of brand founder Abraham-Louis Breguet and his successors for the exhibit.

The pieces culminate to underscore Breguet’s timepieces as “miracles of mechanical engineering and objects of rare beauty celebrated in the courts of Europe by the world’s most preeminent personalities.”

Part of Breguet’s 240th anniversary celebrations, the exhibit boasts timepieces from when the firm opened in 1775 to the Art Deco period of the mid-1900s. One item on display stands apart from the rest, a 2008 reproduction of the “Marie-Antoinette” watch, a piece that has captured interest in the horology circuit for more than two centuries.

Watch N°2784, a "simple watch" design by Breguet

Other historical pieces include a travel clock designed for Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, a touch watch made for his wife, Empress Josephine, naval instruments commissioned by the French Ministry of the Navy and pocket watches made for the rules of Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Essentially, not only does the exhibit tell the tale of Breguet’s innovation, but also European history.

While this is the largest display of Breguet timepieces in the Americas, San Francisco was picked since it is the epicenter of technological innovations today.

In a statement, president and CEO of Breguet Marc A. Hayek said, “It is a natural fit for the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco to host this exhibition. After all, what better place can one imagine than the Bay Area to highlight the work of a genius whose creations were as revolutionary as the products devised today in Silicon Valley? Throughout his life, Breguet constantly tested new technological instruments, methods and solutions.”

Facade of San Francisco's California Palace at the Legion of Honor Museum

Breguet has touted its historical significance in other exhibits as well. For example, Breguet appealed to watch enthusiasts through its participation in the “Precision and Splendor: Clocks and Watches at The Frick Collection,” New York.

The three historic Breguet timepieces by Mr. Breguet and his son Antoine-Louis Breguet from the late eighteenth century were on display. Breguet also provided major funding for the exhibit, which may have strengthened its reputation in the watch industry (see story).