Perrelet

Abraham-Louis Perrelet was born in Le Locle, Switzerland in 1728. After a brief apprenticeship, he became an independent watchmaker and in 1777 invented the self-winding mechanism for automatic watches—a revolutionary concept where an oscillating weight wound the mainspring through the wearer's natural movements. The Geneva Society of Arts reported in 1777 that fifteen minutes of walking provided eight days of power reserve. Perrelet sold some watches to Abraham-Louis Breguet around 1780, who refined the design into his famous 'perpétuelles.' After Perrelet's death in 1826, his grandson Louis-Frédéric continued the legacy, inventing marine chronographs and winning the Lalande Prize in 1830. The brand returned to visibility in 1990, developing the Double Rotor concept—a movement with two rotors visible from both sides of the watch. The first Double Rotor model was released in 1995 in collaboration with master watchmaker Paul Gerber. In 2004, the Festina Group acquired Perrelet, bringing new resources and manufacturing capabilities. The 2009 introduction of the Turbine collection, featuring twelve rotating blades inspired by jet engine turbines, became the brand's most iconic design. In 2021, Perrelet launched its COSC-certified P-331-MH caliber, marking a new chapter in manufacture movement production.