The remarkable Hora Mundi ref. 5717 made its first appearance in 2011, to an enthusiastic reception. Then, in 2016, when Breguet launched an updated version (ref. 5727) they spoke of it as a replacement for the original. But some things are simply too special to discontinue. Thank goodness – for we rarely encounter a watch that combines technical genius, great beauty and immense charm in the way that this version of Hora Mundi does. For those of us who are constantly on the move, a multiple-time-zone complication is one of the most useful things to have in a watch – and, unsurprisingly, it’s offered by almost all of the top makers. More surprising, though, is how little variety there is in the style of display: a pointer hand or a sub-dial and that’s pretty much where the choice ends. Breguet, however, chose to give a highly original visual expression to its very different version of the complication. More on the brains later, but first let’s focus on the beauty – because, really, the design and the quality of execution are exceptional. The case is classic Breguet, with the kind of attention to detail that you know only if you know:… Read More
VIDEO: Never break the chain … Breguet’s Tradition 7047 is a masterpiece of fine watchmaking
This watch is pure flex. And not just because it’s a beast on the wrist, thanks largely to that hugely tall domed sapphire crystal. No, the reason the Breguet Tradition 7047 is such a power watch is the movement. Not only is there a whopping great tourbillon whirring away — taking up the top half of the dial — but there’s one full-on fusee and chain mechanism going on at the bottom of the dial. This very old regulating method is very technical and very cool. For me it also takes the Tradition collection’s ongoing juxtaposition of old school watchmaking know-how and modern style to its natural — and ultimate — conclusion. Breguet Tradition 7047 Australian pricing Breguet Tradition 7047, $225,600
VIDEO: Breguet’s grand Tradition
The Tradition is a very special watch in Breguet’s prestigious collection. The brand is renowned for their classic style and peerless heritage. The Tradition collection — which debuted in 2005 — epitomises these values while managing to look effortlessly modern. It’s quite a feat. The traditional elements are easy to define — the engine-turned dial, the fluted case, the Breguet hands, that winding rotor. All details that speak directly to Breguet’s past. What makes the watch feel so modern is a little harder to define. There’s a few obvious tells, like the larger size and the use of silicon. And then there’s the harder to define bits, like the unconventional dial side movement and the modern looking (yet actually quite old school) peened finish on the bridges. Really though, it’s one of those whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts situations. Perhaps then, Breguet’s Tradition is like the best traditions — rooted in the past, yet flexible enough to move with modern times. Breguet Tradition 7097 and Breguet Tradition Dame Australian pricing Breguet Tradition 7097 in red gold, $42,000, Tradition Dame in red gold, $49,000
INSIGHT: Classic design pushed forward – the world of watchmaking at Breguet
With a brand so rich in history, the origins of what can only be called typical Breguet design cues date a fair ways back into the archives. Contrary to the case of countless other brands on the market, the components that make up Breguet’s core design mantra could hardly be accused of being derivative, and each element has its own origin story of sorts rather than the typical “we put that there because we wanted to make a dive watch”. Breguet has been busy perfecting their craft since 1775, and have consistently survived the industry’s ups and downs including the quartz crisis. Of course, the brand changed hands a number of times between its origins and landing in the firm grip of the Swatch Group in 1999, but this length of continuous operation, combined with some fairly impressive innovation through the decades and centuries, is nothing to sneeze at. For the sake of brevity, we’re going to stay on the design side of the fence this time around. Dem hands tho … (and them digits) It’s hard to say which Breguet design cue is the most easily identifiable of them all, though few would argue if the classic blued Breguet… Read More
EDITOR’S PICK: The other side of Breguet – the Type XXI 3817
Editor’s Note: It’s easy (too easy, really) to pigeonhole a brand, often unfairly. For me, my first association with Breguet was all fluted cases, engine-turned dials and precious metal cases. To be fair, the brand does all those things exceptionally well, but you know what else they do pretty darned well? Steel sports watches, like this Type XXI 3817 … Turns out that Breguet, not content with nailing the brief when it comes to dress watches and innovating left, right and centre are also quite the dab hand when it comes to pilot’s watches. And they’re no Johnny-come-latelies at the genre, either. In fact, in the early 20th century, Abraham-Louis Breguet’s grandson — Louis Charles Breguet — made planes under the name of Breguet Aviation. There is no connection, however, between Louis Charles’ aeronautical business and the Type 20 chronograph that inspired the Type XXI 3817 that we’re looking at today. It’s important to note that Type 20 and 21 chronographs used by the French Air Force in the early ’50s were made by a variety of suppliers. A group of six brands produced them according to a set of minimum requirements covering off form and function, with key features being the flyback chronograph, rotating 12-hour bezel and some fairly rigorous accuracy… Read More
HANDS-ON: Titanium case and a new style dial – the Breguet Marine 5517
Last year, Breguet gave us a first taste of their new design for the Marine collection. However, the new look didn’t get the massive attention you might expect for an update of a pillar collection. Not because it wasn’t noteworthy but because the new look was revealed in the form of the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 – and when you get a complication as mouth-watering as that, the aesthetics tend to play second fiddle. In contrast, the new Marine 5517, released at Baselworld 2018, places the emphasis firmly on the design. Vital Statistics Set in a 40mm case, the movement is Breguet’s self-winding in-house calibre 777A with a power reserve of 55 hours, a silicon balance spring and skeletonised winding rotor. As well as this white gold-blue dial version, the Breguet Marine 5517 comes in red gold with a silvery white dial, and in titanium – the latter with a sun-brushed dial, rather than the guilloché wave pattern of the gold models. The dial of each watch is individually numbered, below the Breguet logo. The hour chapter is marked out by applied Roman numerals, with luminescent dots for the minutes and a date window at 3 o’clock. There’s also lume… Read More
HANDS-ON: Keeping illustrious company with the Breguet Reine de Naples 8918
First shown at Baselworld 2017, the stunner that is the Breguet Reine de Naples 8918 in rose gold is my pick of Breguet’s women’s offerings (in Australia) at the moment. Breguet is all proportion, horological order and watchmaking museum elegance. But sprinkle that heritage with 1.46 carats worth of white diamonds and the ghosts of French royalty, and you are contemplating a pretty heady proposition. Let’s start with the diamonds before working back over the centuries to Parisian courtiers, and really, it’s hard not to. They include a pear-shaped diamond at 6pm (approx. 0.09ct); a briolette-cut diamond on the off-set crown situated at 4pm (approx. 0.26ct); the rose gold folding clasp that is set with 26 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.12ct); and the bezel and dial flange is encircled with 117 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.99ct). It might all be too blinding a vista to take in if the case was in white gold with a pale dial (and this model is one of 11 variants); but here, the dial makes calming use of champagne Tahitian natural mother-of-pearl with some white tones of the same material. Depending on the light, the dial’s main hue ranges from hazelnut or light chocolate brown to taupe, with… Read More
INTRODUCING: A touch of class – the Breguet Classique 7787
Enamel is enjoying something of a renaissance in watch manufacturing. Many companies – from Seiko to Patek – are increasingly turning to the nearly forgotten art to decorate their dials. While it’s a slow and sometimes unforgiving process, the reward for mastering the technique is a uniquely alluring dial with a hue that will never fade. One company that has mastered the craft is Breguet – the gurus of guilloche also produce watches with some of the finest enamel dials in the industry. In fact, just this year they updated two of their classically styled pieces – the elegant Classique 7147, which we looked at earlier this year, and this more complex Classique 7787. Breguet has exchanged these models’ traditionally engine-turned dials for a pair of pearly whites. Both watches share the same style of grand feu enamelled dial, with Breguet numerals, whimsical star minute track, and stylised fleur-de-lis hour markers. However, there are a few extra details on the 7787, starting with a power reserve indicator that sweeps across the dial between three and six o’clock. Next is the smiling cutout at 12 o’clock, which displays the age and phases of the moon – with its stars and man on the moon set in… Read More
