Breguet Hallmark
The 250th anniversary of the Manufacture Breguet is an opportunity to highlight the House's historic practices of excellence in terms of decoration, technique and ethics. The uncompromising care given to each of its watches constitutes a legacy that the company wishes to protect through internal regulations. Today, it is embodied by a hallmark affixed to new timepieces.
With this in mind, the teams at the Manufacture have drawn up formal specifications. They provide the framework for this certification, which is based on three pillars. Firstly, the quality of the components, the craftsmanship and the safeguarding of artistic skills; secondly, the high level of chronometry and technical performance of each timepiece; and thirdly, the ethical nature of the entire process. The Breguet hallmark is applied to the finished watch head and the buckle of the bracelet.
A hallmark consistent with Breguet values
The hallmark reflects a subtle harmony between traditional expertise and technological innovation. It respects the founding principles of the company. It guarantees not only the authenticity, but also the impeccable quality and performance of each Breguet watch, the meticulous work in which every detail is shaped according to clear criteria of absolute rigour.
The Breguet hallmark will formally attest that each Breguet watch is part of this fundamental process. This approach fits naturally into the context of the company's 250th anniversary. It certifies that each Breguet watch embodies all its values.
The approach of the Breguet hallmark consists of bringing together, around a dedicated internal committee, all the values that underpin the authenticity, beauty and quality of Breguet watches. These fundamental aspects of Breguet's watchmaking culture and heritage are grouped into three pillars: Component Quality, Performance and Ethics.
Aesthetic harmony
The Breguet hallmark certifies first and foremost the quality of each watch. It is a question of finishing, but also of the way in which it is obtained and the coherence of the overall design. From the birth of the delicate engraved decorations to the temperatures used to fuse the enamels, not forgetting the perfect cutting edge of the chisel reflecting the sure touch of the guilloche-maker or engraver, these efforts are only meaningful if they are applied consistently to the timepieces, in accordance with clear, established principles. The decoration of a movement, technically complex, requires experience and dexterity, as well as a creative spirit that allows us to think beyond what already exists.
Finishing is carried out according to strict in-house specifications, overseen by a dedicated Hallmark Committee, with the aim of highlighting the work of Breguet's craftsmen, who produce the brand's signature finishes by hand, such as guilloché, traditional gem-setting, enamelling and engraving, among others.
The Committee is also responsible for defining, applying and developing the Breguet hallmark. Finally, it has the authority to decide whether a model meets the criteria and can bear the hallmark. Each watch bearing
the Breguet hallmark is thus a guarantee that it has been conceived, developed and made to offer its owner the finest representation of the Breguet art of watchmaking.
Breguet Hallmark Watches
Technical excellence
The Breguet hallmark then certifies a level of performance. It is associated with each watch identified by its individual number, finished and assembled, inspected at each stage of production, and certified at the final inspection. The performances of each watch are systematically chronometric, magnetic and associated with a level of water-resistance specific to the timepiece. Where applicable, acoustics are also subject to strict specifications (grand strike, minute repeater, alarm).
At Breguet, chronometric performance has always been a central concern. This led Abraham-Louis Breguet to classify his timepieces in two categories: "watches for civil use, and watches for scientific use". As part of its 250th anniversary celebrations, Breguet is updating this classification according to three contemporary categories. Firstly, "Scientific" with a daily rate accuracy of +/- 1 second. Next, "Civil & Sport" with a daily accuracy of +/- 2 s. Finally, "Evening & Jewellery", with a daily accuracy of -2/+6 s.
These performances are monitored throughout the watch's development, guaranteeing its chronometric stability. Breguet has also strengthened its final inspection protocol with a new magnetic requirement based on a more stringent criterion. It is set at a minimum of 10 times the exposure values of the NIHS 90-10 standard, for a residual drift that is at least 3 times less than its requirements. Compliance with this new internal standard will require additional adaptations that will gradually be applied to all movements certified with the Breguet hallmark. This approach is part of the process initiated nearly 20 years ago, at the instigation of Nicolas G. Hayek, to ensure that Breguet watches are equipped with non-magnetic components, such as the silicon balance-spring.
Performance control also includes systematic measurement of the level of water-resistance specific to each model. This is carried out during air and water tests on each watch bearing the Breguet hallmark. This step ensures that Breguet timepieces retain all their qualities day after day.
Ethics at the heart of the stakes
Breguet has always supported an ethical and sustainable approach to all its watchmaking practices. The Breguet hallmark attests that all the components of its timepieces have been developed in accordance with the highest standards of fine watchmaking.
In this way, Breguet has become a benchmark player in elevating traditional watchmaking expertise, working to maintain and enhance it. This translates into the enhancement of the value of manual work, the craftsman and the artist, as well as respect for the ethics inherent in the art of fine craftsmanship.
The art of guilloché, a fundamental element of Breguet's DNA, is one of the crafts specific to the field of prestige watchmaking. This discipline is perpetuated by the restoration of a fleet of historic machines and the specialists dedicated to rebuilding them. Maintaining and passing on this expertise has been developed through a sustained in-house training programme for guilloché craftsmen and master guilloché craftsmen.
Other skilled craftsmen include conservators and restorers of old timepieces, master enamellers, gem setters and engravers. These disciplines can only be achieved by hand to Breguet standards. The essence of the Breguet hallmark lies in highlighting the experience that perpetuates the watchmaking tradition at its highest level.
The ethical aspect is also reflected in the availability of specialists trained to develop solutions adapted to the maintenance of both current and historic models. Breguet is also committed to guaranteeing that its watches can be repaired for life. Durability is therefore a key element of the Breguet hallmark.
Breguet also takes into account the environmental, social and economic aspects of all its activities, within a broader framework than that of the Breguet hallmark. All partners in the Manufacture's supply chain are thus aligned with its exacting standards.
Finally, the Breguet hallmark certifies that all the operations required to manufacture the components of the watch head, and its buckle are carried out entirely in Switzerland. The Manufacture's historical archives attest to the fact that traceability is one of its fundamental values, so it is only natural that it should include the Breguet hallmark. Chronometric, supply and production data are part of the intangible heritage of the Manufacture. They represent an additional guarantee of the care with which each Breguet timepiece is crafted.
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