Another essential development was the evolution of the
link so-called Lepine caliber, which
link was developed by Jean-Antoine Lepine in the 18th century, and which did away with the bulky but then-ubiquitous fusee. This allowed the balance to be placed on the same plane as the rest of the going train, and combined with the use of now-standard bridgework, rather than the earlier pillar-and-plate construction, made
link it possible to make really flat watches for the first time.