In 1775, the reign of Louis XVI just took place and ushers in a new wind over France. The King is favorable to the arts, and Breguet takes advantage of it to start its own business. He is successful up until the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. The unstable climate in Paris forces him to flee his adopted country, and he returns to Switzerland. When he comes back, Abraham-Louis Breguet sets out to rebuild his business and find a new clientele.
Around 1783, at the same time that he presented his innovative gong springs for chiming watches, Abraham-Louis Breguet also created his famous open-tipped Breguet hands. He was driven by a desire to clean up the design, and that included Arabic numerals, which he refined, and the case, which he slimmed down. In combination with large and flat enameled dials, these graphic lines would prove highly popular with the public and strongly influence other manufactures’ watches.
Breguet No. 84, dumb (à toc) quarter repeating watch, enamel dial with Breguet numerals, Breguet hands of blue steel, delivered on 5 December 1800 to Mr Talma for Mr Recordon