Last year, Breguet introduced a stunningly simple, surprisingly asymmetrical addition to the Classique family, the Tourbillon Extra-Flat. This year, at Time to Move, they’ve premiered the next chapter. It’s still a Classique Tourbillon, but it’s been dramatically skeletonised. Meet the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Flat Skeleton 5395. First things first – the fundamentals: 41mm across by a truly slender 7.7mm thick, offered in platinum or rose gold cases. The dial is sapphire, to show off the movement. The hands are (obviously) Breguet. On paper, the 3mm thin movement, designated 581SQ (for squelette, or skeleton), is the same as the existing 581. But in reality it’s a completely different beast, and absolutely beautiful. Firstly, and most obviously, the closed dial is gone, leaving the inner workings of the watch exposed. And those inner workings have been significantly stripped back, with about 50 per cent of the mass of the movement removed, leaving a fine tracery of extensively hand-worked bridges. These bridges are made from a specific red gold alloy that is harder than usual, so as to effectively support the weight of the movement. Not much of that weight is coming from the off-centre tourbillon — the titanium and silicon carriage weighs in… Read More
INTRODUCING: The new Breguet Classique 5177 will have you singing the blues
If there was the platonic ideal of a dress watch, I’m willing to bet that it would look a lot like Breguet’s Classique: simple, elegant, restrained. But for all that, it’s a watch full of subtle nuance and fine details — details that separate it from the rest of the pack. The white gold case, fluted around the middle, is perfectly circular, something accentuated by that rounded, polished bezel, and the abrupt angularity of the welded, rounded lugs. Inside this 38mm case lies the Cal. 777Q, an automatic equipped — as are all Breguet’s pieces — with silicon technology where it counts. Power reserve is decent at 55 hours, and the beat rate is 4Hz. Really, though, the action here is on the dial. There’s no engine-turned guilloché, but instead you get Grand Feu of the deepest, darkest blue. There’s quite a knack to these dials, not just because the firing at over 800 degrees Celsius is inherently risky, but also because the particular shade of blue has been chosen to match the hue of Breguet’s traditional heat-blued hands. Hands that, for the sake of legibility, aren’t in evidence here. We still get that Breguet shape, but here they’re in rhodium-plated… Read More
HANDS-ON: The Breguet Marine Chronograph ref. 5527
If I’m being honest, this is one of the less “Breguet” watches Breguet has released in recent years. It’s an unconventional mix of traditional features, in a much more contemporary package. All the key design features are there: the fluted case, the hands and the elaborately guillochéd dial, but this watch is a world away from their Classique collection, while still being undeniably Breguet. It also — and this is a key point — doesn’t look too much like anything else in the crowded field of high-end sports chronographs. And make no mistake, this is a high-end sports chronograph. One look at the back side of this hefty 42.3mm by 13.85mm watch should make that abundantly clear. All 346 parts of this automatic calibre (at least the ones I could see) are gorgeous, working together in complex harmony. The rotor is now a skeletonised ship’s wheel affair rather than the wavelike shape of yore. Of course, being Breguet, you know that there’s silicon inside, particularly the escapement anchor and the balance spring — good things for a sporty chrono. The choice of white gold case leans away from sports and more towards luxury (don’t worry though, there’s a titanium option… Read More
HANDS-ON: Around the world with the Breguet Classique Hora Mundi ref. 5717
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
