To pay tribute to the anniversary of the Tourbillon, Breguet invited its guests to live a unique experience: one day in the life of the emperor in Tsar Village - the main residence of the Russian emperors.
Breguet has had a strong friendship with Russia since the beginning. In fact, Tsar Alexander I was one of Abraham-Louis Breguet's main clients. After meeting A.L. Breguet, the Tsar ordered eight pedometers between 1820 and 1822. Russian elite are enticed by the creations of the brand – including famous customers such as Barons Demidov, Volkontsky, and Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin, one of the greatest Russian poets and a Breguet enthusiast, was so passionate about the brand that he mentions it in Eugene Onegin: "A dandy who goes to the boulevards (...) He strolls there at leisure, until the vigilant Breguet reminds him of the noon hour."
Lastly, to further prove the long-standing friendship with Russia, was the opening of the House of Breguet in 1808 in St. Petersburg, where the imperial court resided. It was only natural that the brand wished to offer its Russian guests an extraordinary experience to pay tribute to the Tourbillon Anniversary.
On December 18th during the event which took place in Alexander Park, the guests enjoyed Russian folk festivities – dances, songs, and of course traditional Russian dishes. Then, on horse-drawn carts – or, "Maybachs of the 18th century" - the guests moved to the Alexander Palace, a palace received by Tsar Alexander I in 1796 as a wedding gift from Catherine II.
Later that day, the brand opened the doors to the most beautiful halls of the Catherine Palace, the former beloved home of the Tsar Alexander I – an exclusive experience in itself, given the palace does not normally have public access. Breguet’s guests enjoyed dinner back inside Catherine Palace. Before the meal, guests enjoyed a ballet performance whose movements perfectly emulate the heartbeat of the tourbillon and opera singer also.
After this timeless moment, in the last two halls of the Catherine Palace, the moment that the guests had been waiting for - the presentation of Tourbillons. The guests had the opportunity to discover an array of tourbillon models from current and past collections. A beautiful occasion to celebrate 220 years since the invention of this fascinating complication by Abraham-Louis Breguet, and to capture the avant-garde spirit of the brand's founder.
Upon conclusion of the event, each guest was gifted a set of souvenirs dedicated to Alexander Pushkin and his famous poem «Eugene Onegin» to express the brand’s gratitude to attendees.
