Louis-François-Clement Breguet
Encyclopedia
Louis Francois Clement Breguet (December 22, 1804- October 27, 1883), was a French physicist and watchmaker, noted for his work in the early days of telegraphy. He was the grandson of Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of the watch manufacturing company Breguet
.
He was a maker of scientific instruments such as recording instruments, an electric thermometer, telegraph instruments and electrically synchronized clocks. Louis was educated in Switzerland.
He became manager of Breguet et Fils watchmakers in 1833 after his father Louis Antoine Breguet retired. Between 1835 and 1840 he standardized the company product line of watches (then making 350 watches per year), and diversified into scientific instruments and electrical devices.
With Alphonse Foy, in 1842 he developed an electrical needle telegraph to replace the optical telecgraph system then in use. and a later step-by-step telegraph system (1847) was applied to French railways and exported to Japan.
In 1843 he was appointed to the Bureau of Longitudes
. In 1845 Breguet was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
.
He observed in 1847 that small wires could be used to protect telegraph installations from lightning
, the ancestor of the fuse (electricity).
In 1856 he designed a public network of synchronized electric clocks for the center of Lyon.
He also manufactured the rotating mirror Fizeau–Foucault apparatus, used by Leon Foucault
and Hippolyte Fizeau
to measure the speed of light
(1850).
In 1866 he patented an electric clock controlled by a 100 Hz tuning fork.
In 1870 he transferred the leadership of the company
to Edward Brown. Breguet then focused entirely on the telegraph and the nascent field of telecommunications. He collaborated in the development of an induction coil
, later improved by Heinrich Ruhmkorff.
He was made a member of the French Academy of Sciences
in 1874 .
He is one of the 72 French scientists whose names are written around the base of the Eiffel Tower
.
Breguet was married and had one son Antoine (1851–1882) who also joined the family electrical business.. With his son, he met Alexander Graham Bell and obtained a license to manufacture Bell telephones for the French market. Grandfather of Louis Charles Breguet
, aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer.
Breguet (watch)
Breguet is a manufacturer of luxury watches, founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris in 1775. Currently part of The Swatch Group, its timepieces are now produced in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland...
.
He was a maker of scientific instruments such as recording instruments, an electric thermometer, telegraph instruments and electrically synchronized clocks. Louis was educated in Switzerland.
He became manager of Breguet et Fils watchmakers in 1833 after his father Louis Antoine Breguet retired. Between 1835 and 1840 he standardized the company product line of watches (then making 350 watches per year), and diversified into scientific instruments and electrical devices.
With Alphonse Foy, in 1842 he developed an electrical needle telegraph to replace the optical telecgraph system then in use. and a later step-by-step telegraph system (1847) was applied to French railways and exported to Japan.
In 1843 he was appointed to the Bureau of Longitudes
Bureau des Longitudes
The Bureau des Longitudes is a French scientific institution, founded by decree of 25 June 1795 and charged with the improvement of nautical navigation, standardisation of time-keeping, geodesy and astronomical observation. During the 19th century, it was responsible for synchronizing clocks...
. In 1845 Breguet was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
He observed in 1847 that small wires could be used to protect telegraph installations from lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, the ancestor of the fuse (electricity).
In 1856 he designed a public network of synchronized electric clocks for the center of Lyon.
He also manufactured the rotating mirror Fizeau–Foucault apparatus, used by Leon Foucault
Léon Foucault
Jean Bernard Léon Foucault was a French physicist best known for the invention of the Foucault pendulum, a device demonstrating the effect of the Earth's rotation...
and Hippolyte Fizeau
Hippolyte Fizeau
Armand Hippolyte Louis Fizeau was a French physicist.-Biography:Fizeau was born in Paris. His earliest work was concerned with improvements in photographic processes. Following suggestions by François Arago, Léon Foucault and Fizeau collaborated in a series of investigations on the interference of...
to measure the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
(1850).
In 1866 he patented an electric clock controlled by a 100 Hz tuning fork.
In 1870 he transferred the leadership of the company
Breguet (watch)
Breguet is a manufacturer of luxury watches, founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris in 1775. Currently part of The Swatch Group, its timepieces are now produced in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland...
to Edward Brown. Breguet then focused entirely on the telegraph and the nascent field of telecommunications. He collaborated in the development of an induction coil
Induction coil
An induction coil or "spark coil" is a type of disruptive discharge coil. It is a type of electrical transformer used to produce high-voltage pulses from a low-voltage direct current supply...
, later improved by Heinrich Ruhmkorff.
He was made a member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
in 1874 .
He is one of the 72 French scientists whose names are written around the base of the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
.
Breguet was married and had one son Antoine (1851–1882) who also joined the family electrical business.. With his son, he met Alexander Graham Bell and obtained a license to manufacture Bell telephones for the French market. Grandfather of Louis Charles Breguet
Louis Charles Breguet
Louis Charles Breguet was a French aircraft designer and builder, one of the early aviation pioneers.- Biography :...
, aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer.