Perrelet is a Swiss watchmaking Maison whose legacy spans almost 250 years, founded on one of the most transformative inventions in horological history. In 1777, Abraham-Louis Perrelet — born in Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel — brought to life the first automatic winding watch, conceiving a rotor that captured the kinetic energy of human movement and converted it into the perpetual energy driving the mechanism. A surprisingly simple yet enormously effective system that has survived to this day. Perrelet's pioneering spirit was carried forward by his grandson Louis-Frédéric Perrelet, whose astronomical pendulum was presented at the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1823 and earned him the Medal of the Academy of Sciences in 1830. The Maison has continued its founder's mission ever since, introducing the iconic Double Rotor in 1995 — a system combining an oscillating weight with a visible dial-side rotor — and achieving full manufacture independence in 2012 with the launch of the in-house caliber P-321. Today, Perrelet controls every step of its vertically integrated manufacturing process, from the selection of raw materials to the craftsmanship of each finished piece.
Perrelet
1777
Abraham-Louis Perrelet creates the first automatic winding watch in history — a rotor that harnesses the kinetic energy of human movement to perpetually power the mechanism.
1780
Perrelet develops the first pedometer, counting the wearer's steps and converting movement into measured energy — an unheard-of functionality for its time.
1823
Grandson Louis-Frédéric Perrelet presents an astronomical pendulum at the Universal Exhibition of Paris, consecrating him as watchmaker to three successive kings of France.
1830
Louis-Frédéric is awarded the Medal of the Academy of Sciences for his exceptional physics and astronomy chronometer with split-seconds mechanism.
1995
Perrelet introduces the Double Rotor — two rotors working in tandem to wind the automatic mechanism, with a signature rotor visible on the dial side.
2012
Launch of in-house caliber P-321 restores Perrelet's full manufacture independence, producing all movement components internally for the first time.
2013
The Turbine Chrono and Turbine Tourbillon debut — two landmark complications developed entirely in-house, confirming Perrelet's position as a true haute horlogerie manufacture.
