Abraham-Louis Breguet first presented his master invention, the tourbillon, to the public in 1806. Apart from his incredible innovations for timekeeping — the tourbillon, overcoil balance spring, pare-chute and more — Breguet was hugely popular for his no-frills approach to design. Gorgeous guilloché dials, pared-down blued steel hands, slanted Arabic numerals and slim movements have been the hallmarks of Breguet’s inimitable style in watchmaking. 

The late Nicolas G. Hayek bought Breguet from Investcorp, a Bahrain-based company in 1999. Blown away by Breguet’s unsurpassed horological legacy, Hayek took up the acquisition as a personal project and worked out a vigorous revival plan. Today, the Breguet manufacture — comprising five buildings spread over 21,000 square meters — is going strong with its spirit of invention. In recent years, the L’Orient-based company has invested heavily in the development of high precision solutions like the silicon components and ultra high-frequency movements.