Breguet’s patronage of the “Musée national de la Marine” in Paris
The Musée national de la Marine in Paris, located in the famous Palais de Chaillot on Place du Trocadéro, reopened to the public in November 2023 after a complete renovation.
To celebrate its enduring ties with the maritime world, Breguet has become a patron of the museum, notably supporting the creation of a room dedicated to the scientific means of marine navigation through the ages. Long before the era of modern navigation systems, instruments such as the sextant and the marine chronometer were used to calculate a ship’s position. The long and complex history of navigation has involved a variety of experimental research and ingenious inventions. Initially based on oral tradition and subsequently developed through scientific works and instruments, the art of navigation has been constantly perfected over the centuries. This 150 m2 room is designed as a showcase to display some of the key objects in the museum’s collection: models of ships from different civilisations, ancient navigation instruments, modern electronic devices, as well as 1:1 scale beacons and lighthouse optics.
Breguet, Watchmaker to the French Royal Navy
Throughout his career, Abraham-Louis Breguet constantly demonstrated his exceptional mastery of timekeeping. His dedication and numerous inventions earned him both recognition and honours. In 1815, Louis XVIII, King of France, first appointed him as a member of the Bureau des Longitudes and later gave him the official title of Watchmaker to the Royal Navy. This was the most prestigious title a watch–maker could receive, given the scientific skills involved in the very notion of maritime horology, and it was also of vital importance to the country. Breguet devoted himself rigorously and enthusiastically to his role and from then on,
the greatest expeditions were carried out with Breguet’s ‘maritime clocks’ aboard ships and the House was to serve as purveyor to the French Navy for almost 150 years...
Marine chronometers and sextants, formerly indispensable navigation instruments
Among the objects on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris is marine chronometer No. 5072, made between 1817-1818 in the workshops of the House’s founder, Abraham- Louis Breguet. At the time, marine chronometers were of vital importance to fleets, proving absolutely indispensable for calculating longitude at sea.
