Breguet Exhibit Open Now in Bay Area
California’s Silicon Valley is a hotbed of invention where everyone is frantically trying to discover the next technological advance but for the next few months the denizens of the Bay Area have the opportunity to learn more about the kind of innovation that brought us to where we are today. An exhibit by Breguet is reminding modern day horologists what the brand has accomplished in its 240-year history.
The exhibit “Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking” is now open at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco and offers a look at the largest collection of antique timepieces in U.S. history. On display are more than 70 clocks, pocket watches and other horological pieces spanning the time period from the opening of Breguet in 1775 to the Art Deco period of the 20th century.
Among the more interesting items are pocket watches designed for the rulers of Europe, instruments made for the French Ministry of the Navy, a travel clock made for Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and a watch created for his wife Josephine. One piece sure to get the attention of serious horologists is a 2008 reproduction of Breguet’s intricate Marie Antoinette watch, the original of which was created two centuries ago.
Why did Breguet choose to bring this exhibit to the Silicon Valley? Breguet president and CEO Marc A. Hayek released this statement: “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.”
The exhibit will be open until January 10, 2016.
