Description
This seminal work on the life and genius of the man many consider the greatest ever horologist, Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), was first published in 1975. Long out of print, this new edition, a facsimile re-print of the original book, will be a welcome addition to any watch enthusiast’s library. The author, George Daniels, devoted much of his life to the study of Breguet’s work. Maintaining a careful balance between historical biography and technical analysis, Daniels’ own genius as a horologist allows him to explain even the most technical aspects of Breguet’s work in a clear and accessible manner.
As the world’s leading expert on Breguet, George Daniels examined, restored and photographed a vast array of Breguet clocks and watches. During the early 1960s Daniels first met George Brown, the then proprietor of Maison Breguet in Paris. The pair soon became friends and Brown allowed Daniels access to the famous Breguet archives which recorded the date of manufacture of every Breguet clock and watch. This of course was an invaluable resource for George, as he noted in his autobiography, All in Good Time, “this information was important to my personal Breguet records in that it helped to give perspective to Breguet’s system of manufacture”.
From the dust jacket:
“The Art of Breguet is the complete, illustrated history of the work of Abraham Louis Breguet by the late George Daniels who has provided a detailed study of Breguet’s horological philosophy that explains so many of the misunderstood aspects of his work. He describes in detail the complexity of Breguet’s art and, by so doing, supplants the mystique that has surrounded it with a clearer understanding of its function. Over one hundred line drawings illustrate the progress of technical development and each is accompanied by analysis of the mechanism and its intended purpose.
The history of the development of the internal and external appearance of the vast range of Breguet’s products is illustrated in a separate section, arranged in the order of manufacture to reveal the pattern of change in appearnce. Each item is accompanied by a description of the external characteristics, mechanism period of manufacture and, where possible, the date of sale. This reprinted edition, with a foreword by Emmanuel Breguet, has been long awaited and is addressed equally to the student and to the collector of Breguet’s work.”
Hardback with dust jacket
394 pages
Measurements:
25cm x 33.6cm x 4cm