IN THIS WATERLOO anniversary year there is one watch brand in particular that warrants extra attention. Abraham Louis Breguet lived an eventful life: by the time Napoleon was finally defeated in fields outside Brussels, he had already left Switzerland, been a supplier to the Bourbon elite, and fled Paris during the Revolution, only to return as de facto watchmaker by appointment to the court and extended family of Napoleon. Between 1797 and the capitulation of 1814, Napoleon’s family acquired around 100 Breguets.
Of course, it might be assumed that a man so identified with the defeated regime might not be popular with the occupying British and Prussian forces. In fact, the reverse was true. Breguet’s workshop was one of the first places that the richer and more stylish Allied officers headed…
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Octane (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 1, 2015