Perrelet

Luxury timepieces with absolute precision and sophistication

Today’s watch brand Perrelet goes back to Abraham-Louis Perrelet, one of the most important Swiss watchmakers and inventors ever. Perrelet was born in 1729 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Already at a young age, Perrelet’s extraordinary talent for the art of watchmaking was evident, which he was to practice with passion in his small workshop near Le Locle – the cradle of Swiss watchmaking – until his death in 1826. Perrelet made his last pocket watch at the advanced age of 95.

Abraham-Louis Perrelet is the spiritual father of a whole series of important inventions in the field of watchmaking. Among other things, he is considered the creator of the automatic winding system for pocket watches. Here, a spring is wound independently in small steps by a rotor by means of a gear transmission when the wearer moves. This innovation, presented in 1777, was quickly taken up and improved by other watchmakers, including such famous names as Hubert Sarton and Abraham Louis Breguet. Even today, modern automatic wristwatches function according to exactly the same principle.

As the inventor of the automatic watch some 250 years ago, Perrelet demonstrated his impressive skill in the development of chronometers.
Perrelet

New start in the nineties

After Perrelet’s death, his name initially disappeared from the horological scene – until it was revived in 1995, to the delight of many watch enthusiasts, with the reestablishment of the Perrelet watch manufactory. In 1993, Flavio Audemars, an industrialist from Ticino, acquired the rights to the name from Perrelet’s descendants and immediately began preparations for the brand’s relaunch. Perrelet launches its second success story with a reinterpretation of the automatic movement drive – an exclusive timepiece equipped with a double rotor with one oscillating weight visibly placed on the dial side.

Innovative timepieces for everyday users and collectors

Today, the brand is based in the center of the Swiss watch industry, in Biel. In 2004, the Spanish investor and entrepreneur Miguel Rodriguez – owner of the Festina Group -took over Perrelet and since then has continued the success story of the traditional and innovative watchmaker. The luxury timepieces manufactured in the company’s own production facilities – including its own collection of pilot’s watches – impress with their technical sophistication and absolute precision. Whether traditional automatic caliber or double rotor movement, Perrelet’s innovative chronometers guarantee unparalleled originality and quality to everyday users and collectors alike.