In 2026, Breguet pays tribute to the invention of the tourbillon, for which Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted his historic patent on 7 Messidor Year 9 according to the French revolutionary calendar, corresponding to 26 June 1801. This means that this eminent complication has been an enduring part of day-to-day life for the Manufacture Breguet, its collectors and the entire watch industry – which has since widely adopted its founding principle – for exactly 225 years.

Breguet celebrates the tourbillon legacy with a number of exclusive creations

Since then, the Manufacture has continued to foster the progress of the great watchmaker’s invention, constantly drawing on its original inspiration, while over the decades introducing valuable technical refinements serving a single purpose: the quest for precision. All the new models presented today are part of this vision.

A prestigious lineage

Nearly 40 years later, the legacy mission championed by the House of Breguet has led to a magnificent resurgence of the tourbillon, which has returned to the forefront of watchmaking desirability. While the invention that we owe to Breguet has been widely adopted by virtually all players in the industry, only the Manufacture possesses its historical legitimacy, backed by the famous patent of 26 June 1801, exactly 225 years ago.

“The tourbillon is not merely another complication at Breguet: it is part of our DNA and has embodied the House’s spirit of innovation for more than two centuries. Since its invention, we have continually reinvented and refined it in a constant pursuit of chronometric performance, technical mastery and mechanical beauty.”

Gregory Kissling, CEO of Montres Breguet