Biography

Baptiste-Antoine Brémond was born in Geneva in August of 1834 in the family of jeweler. His father and elder brother followed the family business – it was a small workshop. The Bremonds were originally from France and settled in Geneva in 1698.

In the days of his youth, Baptiste-Antoine assisted his father, mastering the jewellery skills. Later he became interested in mechanics, ventured into watch making.

In the middle of the 19th century in the Western Europe was the era of musical mechanics flourishing. The production of music boxes, interior design and décor items with built-in musical mechanisms (movements) became a profitable business. In 1958, Baptiste-Antoine joined the manufacturing company «Théodore Greiner’s firm» as a partner.

Baptiste-Antoine successfully married the daughter of the famous Swiss businessperson David Lengdorf in 1859. The marriage supported him financially and allowed to realize the long-life dream about his own business. After a five-year partnership with "Théodore Greiner's firm", in 1863 Bremond founded his private firm. It was rater successful and for nearly 50 years. "B.A. Brémond Manufacturer" was one of the most respected firms among Swiss companies, producing mechanical music boxes in the 19th century.

At the turn of the centuries, “B.A. Brémond Manufacturer" experienced financial difficulties – was bankrupted and closed in 1908. The only Baptiste-Antoine’s son Philip tried to revive the father's business. He opened the production in 1913. The workshop did not exist for long and was closed in 1916 – Europe was exhausted by the war, nobody was eager to buy music boxes and other mechanical wonders.

Baptiste-Antoine Breton passed away in autumn of 1925 in Genève.