Inventions and innovations

 
1780 - Development of the perpétuelle, or automatic watch

1783 - Invention of the gong spring for the minute-repeater. Design of the famous Breguet hands and numerals

1786  - The Breguet dial, engine-turned by hand

1789 - The ratchet key known as the “Breguet key”. Escapement working without oil

1790 - Invention of the pare-chute (timepiece shock absorbers)

1792 - Development and production of the mechanism for the Chappe optical telegraph

1795 - First description of the sympathique clocks . Development of the perpetual date calendar. The Breguet balance spring. The ruby cylinder

1796  - The single-hand watch known as the “subscription watch”

1798 - Patent of the constant force escapement (March 9). Invention of the musical chronometer, the clockwork mechanism that acts as a metronome

1799 - The tact watch

1801 - Patent of the Tourbillon Regulator (June 26)

1810  - Development and production of the first wristwatch, ordered by the Queen of Naples

1812 - Appearance of dials with off-centred chapter ring

1815 - Fine-tuning of the double-barrelled marine chronometer

1819 - Ocular of an astronomical telescope

1820  - Invention of the montre à double seconde or observation chronometer, forerunner of the modern chronograph

1830 - First watch with keyless winding

1938 - Start and reset mechanism of a movement with direct-drive seconds hand

1939 - Patent of the sidereal time-keeper (February 28)

1950 - Chronograph reset mechanism. Chronograph minute counter (2 patents)

1990  - The sympathique wristwatch and its clock. Double power reserve

1991 - Timepiece with a running equation-of-time, perpetual equation-of-time wristwatch

1994 - Perpetual calendar mechanism, in-line perpetual calendar wristwatch

1996 - Timepiece movement equipped with a perpetual calendar mechanism

1997  - Patent of the in-line perpetual calendar wristwatch

1998 - The world's smallest self-winding chronograph movement

2002 - 5 patents registered, including: Moon-phase mechanism (Reine de Naples)

2003 - 7 patents registered, including: Patent for a mechanism to lock the alarm function, column-wheel system (Réveil du Tsar)

2004 - 7 patents registered, including: Balance for timepiece movement, titanium balance (Tradition Tourbillon Fusée)

2005 - 15 patents registered, including: Watch equipped with at least two regulating systems (Double Tourbillon)
Shock-protection device for balance pivot (Tradition)

2006 - 13 patents registered, including: A musical module for a watch movement (Réveil Musical)

2007 - 3 patents registered, including: Timepiece comprising a power-reserve display device (Tradition Tourbillon)

2008 - 8 patents registered, including: Gong for a striking or alarm mechanism (minute repeater),
Balance spring with “overcoil” terminal curve in silicon (Tradition Tourbillon)

2009 - 8 patents registered, including: Gong for a timepiece striking mechanism (minute repeater), Tourbillon timepiece movement equipped with a shock-protection device (Tradition Tourbillon)

2010 - 11 patents registered, including: Timepiece comprising a high-frequency mechanical movement (Type XXII), Striking watch equipped with an acoustic membrane (Réveil Musical)

2011 - 19 patents registered, including: A musical module for a watch (Réveil Musical), A balance-spring with two spiral springs, Magnetic governor for the transmission wheel(s) of the movement or strike (Réveil Musical)bile de sonnerie (Réveil Musical)