THE QUINTESSENCE OF WATCHMAKING

Based on its exceptional heritage, Breguet has release a highly refined, white-gold version of the Marine 5827 Chronograph model, first launched in 2007.

With the Marine collection, Breguet likes to get out of its comfort zone. The traditional expertise of the firm is revisited to give its exceptional in-house mechanisms a resolutely sports-watch look. Like the other timepieces in the range, the Marine 5827 represents this watchmaking approach to perfection. On the agenda: a 42mm-wide white-gold fluted case, with a self-winding chronograph movement, numbered and signed by Breguet. The case is adorned with delicate Côtes de Genève stripes. A sculpted rotor drives the calibre mainspring.

The dial has a hand-made guilloché pattern, with a motif called waves, one of the brand’s signature patterns, along with the hands with their instantly recognisable open-tipped shapes and blued Roman numerals. The minute and second counter of the chronograph is displayed with the help of two central hands, one blue, the other silver. The hour counter sits alongside a date counter at 6 o’clock. The second hand, at 9 o’clock, shows that the mechanism is running smoothly. Wide wave-patterned monopushers control the chronograph. Like all Breguet watches, reading the time information is wonderfully simple.

And to give a contemporary touch to the Marine 5827, Breguet has combined this elegant watch case with a black rubber strap, highlighting the sports style. So don’t hesitate to wear this watch at work or at the weekend with your friends beside the sea.

Price: €30,700 breguet.com

By Dan Diaconu

THE SOLAR TIME REFERENCE

In the Breguet watch collections, the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 stands out with its unexpected new-look display of the equation of time.

Equation of time watches show the difference between average solar time and real solar time, the one used in our daily lives. Breguet has decided to give it a new look with a “running” (marchante) equation of time. In concrete terms, the Marine Équation Marchante 5887, with the help of two totally independent rotation mechanisms, shows both civil time and real time with two separate minute hands. The “running” solar hand is distinguished by a facetted sun at its tip, showing the minutes in solar time at a glance. The two hands display the real gap between the two kinds of time.

Another strong point for the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 is a perpetual calendar that is automatically corrected according to the length of the month. Two counters, one between 10 and 11 o’clock and the other between 1 and 2 o’clock, show the days and months, respectively. The date is displayed on a retrograde scale on a arc between 9 and 3 o’clock.

The watch is available in two versions. One has a platinum case of 43.9mm in diameter and a blue dial made of gold. The other is dressed in rose gold and has a silver-gold dial. They are both driven by an exceptional mechanism, the calibre 581DPE, individually numbered and manufactured by Breguet. The precision of this self-winding movement is improved by the presence of a 60-second tourbillon and a silicon balance. This mechanism is visible through the case back and has a comfortable power reserve of 80 hours, displayed discreetly on the dial in a counter between 7 and 9 o’clock.

Price: 209 500 EUR (rose gold version) – 224 500 EUR (platinum version) breguet.com

By Dan Diaconu

A QUEEN OF BEAUTY

For 209 years, the names of Caroline Murat and Abraham-Louis Breguet have been firmly linked and have lasted over time thanks to the Reine de Naples collection, a homage paid by the Vallée de Joux brand to the young queen.

Caroline Bonaparte (1782-1839) was not only the younger sister of the emperor of France Napoleon (1769-1821) and the wife of Marshal Joachim Murat (1767-1815). Above all, Caroline Murat was a woman of taste, a lover of art, culture and – of clockmaking! She became Queen of Naples in 1808 and held the title until it was abolished in 1815. She would often call on the services of Abraham-Louis Breguet, ordering over thirty clocks and timepieces from him in the space of six years, becoming the watchmaker’s most important and faithful customer. Caroline’s most extravagant (for the time) request came in 1810: a repeater watch equipped with a thermometer. This very slender piece with an oblong shape had a strap woven from golden threads so that it could be worn on the wrist. Delivered two years after the order, the piece made by Breguet was probably the very first wrist-watch in history.

Today the name of Reine de Naples (Queen of Naples) still figures in the Breguet collections; it represents a family of highly feminine, exquisite watches, adorned by such crafts as jewel setting, mother-of-pearl marquetry and shell cameo engraving. The watches are easily identifiable thanks to certain aesthetic features including the oval silhouette of the case, the delicately fluted body and the crown, generally topped with a jewel and placed at 4 o’clock.

This year, at BaselWorld, Breguet unveiled a new timepiece in the collection: the Reine de Naples 8918. The oval pink gold case is 36.5 x 28.45mm and set with 117 diamonds. A first band of brilliant-cut jewels highlights the bezel, while a second row of gems, placed along the chapter ring, illuminates the dial with their sparkling fires.

The dial on the Reine de Naples 8918 has two parts, with two types and colours of mother-of-pearl. Against a Tahiti mother-of-pearl background with warm copper tones is an hour rim with finely shaded black Arabic figures, helping them stand out. The number 6, at the bottom of the dial, has been replaced by a magnificent 0.26 carat pear-cut diamond. The gem slightly overlaps a hand-made white mother-of-pearl guilloché disc, forming a Clous de Paris pattern. Two small Breguet open-tipped hands, made of blued steel, display the hours and minutes.

The time indications are powered by calibre 537/3, a self-winding mechanical movement providing 45 hours of power reserve, and partially visible through a sapphire glass window sealing the back of the watch case.

Price: 34,200 (leather strap) breguet.com

By Sharmila Bertin

THE RADIANCE OF “GRAND FEU” ENAMEL

Among the new timepieces unveiled by the watchmaker from the Joux Valley at the 2017 BaselWorld is a refined and timeless piece featuring a dial coated with “Grand Feu” enamel and equipped with an extra-flat in-house movement

In watchmaking, like in art, fashion, architecture and many other domains, taste is subject to debate. But it must be admitted that the classical systematically outclasses the trendy. It has always been and still is an essential element and an undeniable must have. Whatever happens, the classical will always please people. Fashions come and go (and come back again), but the timeless classics keep their status as the icons of time. A perfect example to illustrate these remarks is the Classique 7147 timepiece by Breguet, which includes inside and out all the rich heritage left by its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823).

The new watch, made in the Breguet workshops at the heart of the Joux Valley, provides an irresistibly classic allure, as its name implies. A refinement that time cannot diminish. The Classique 7147 model features a dial with an alabaster colour, a radiant pallor, with a brightness and purity expressing the use of “Grand Feu” enamel. Only the soft, melting effect produced by a technique dating from the Middle Ages can give rise to such beauty. Once the dial has been coated in enamel, the hour rim, featuring the traditional black Breguet figures, is traced on the spotless disc. A fine minute track made up of small black dots completes the black and white graphic effect. Two large open-tipped hands stretch out their long, slim bodies made of blued steel from the centre of the dial towards the chapter ring to show the hours and minutes. Set between 5 and 6 o’clock is a hollow counter displaying the seconds with a revolving blue hand.

The displays are driven by the calibre 502.3SD, an extra-flat automatic mechanical movement designed by Breguet. The calibre has a gentle frequency of 3Hz and provides a power reserve of 45 hours.

The heart of the Classique 7147 is housed in a white gold case with delicately fluted sides. Since the case back features a sapphire disc, part of the mechanism is revealed. This 40mm-diameter setting is also on offer in pink gold and is worn with a black alligator strap and a gold ardillon buckle.

Price: 20 500 CHF (pink gold) – 21 000 CHF (white gold) breguet.com

By Sharmila Bertin

A FEMININE MECHANISM

Just a few months before Baselworld 2017, Breguet has unveiled a timepiece crowned with pink gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds for the greater pleasure of its women customers.

The Tradition collection by Breguet, which was first launched over ten years ago, in 2005 to be precise, has an aesthetic quality inspired by the famous subscription watches made by Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), one of the greatest craftsmen in the history of watchmaking. These timepieces, known as subscription watches, because a deposit was needed to order one – a system that was very much in vogue in the 19th century, and not only for watches – had a simple appearance, and were driven by a simple movement including a large central barrel, and all at an affordable price. Today, the Tradition collection, paying homage to the great watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Breguet, is the epitome of quality watchmaking, with a perfect mechanism superbly displayed on the watch face. Although technique is considered as a mainly masculine preserve, the Tradition Dame model puts paid to this received idea.

Because in line with the Tradition collection, the pink gold case body with a diameter of 37mm is beautifully fluted, like the grooved crown featuring a synthetic ruby. To make it even more feminine, a bezel covered in 68 brilliant-cut diamonds completes the watch setting. On the dial, the plate and rhodium-plated, frosted bridges are discrete enough to leave the hours and minutes as the central focus. The hours and minutes are offset at 12 o’clock and embodied by two gold Breguet open-tipped hands moving across a white, mother-of-pearl disc engraved in a Clous de Paris pattern. The hour rim is made up of black Arabic numbers, known as Breguet figures. Retrograde seconds with a gilded hand are set at 10 o’clock, directly on the plate.

Placed at the centre of the watch, like in subscription watches and partially hidden by the hour and minute dial, the barrel is engraved with a floral pattern similar to a chrysanthemum with a large number of long, rounded petals. This pattern is repeated on the gold rotor, unveiled by the sapphire caseback.

The new, pink gold Tradition Dame timepiece is driven by the Breguet 505SR calibre, an automatic mechanical movement providing a power reserve of 50 hours.

Price on request. breguet.com

By Sharmila Bertin

Tribute to Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette is part of Breguet’s history. The loyal client was behind several creations including the piece named after her. In tribute to the last queen of France, Breguet has unveiled Désir de la Reine and La Classique Rose de la Reine.

Event partner Breguet has unveiled two new exclusive timepieces to coincide with the launch of the “Marie-Antoinette, a queen in Versailles” exhibition at the Résidence de France in Tokyo. Marie-Antoinette was more than a symbol; she hugely influenced Abraham-Louis Breguet’s designs. Pocket watch N°1160 is a prime example. The iconic piece is a copy of the Marie-Antoinette N°160, a watch which Abraham-Louis Breguet was commissioned to make for the queen in 1783 and spent almost a century as one of the most complex pieces ever made.

With this in mind, the brand’s sophisticated models are still inspired by the French queen. The 18 carat white gold Classique Rose de la Reine is named after one of her favourite flowers, Rosa Centifolia Bullata, visible on the dial. What elevates the piece to another level is the skilful enamelling as the subtle blend of different enamel colours brings the regal rose to life. The time is tracked by openwork pomme hands in white gold whilst the minute track has tiny gold dots to give pride of place to the diamond-covered dial. The self-winding movement is showcased beneath the sapphire crystal back so you can admire the brand’s technical expertise. The bezel, chapter ring and lugs are paved with 167 brilliant-cut diamonds whilst the strap gleams with pink satin.

Breguet has also put a fresh spin on the Désir de la Reine for the occasion. The dial glitters with pink sapphires in different sizes whose many tones create shading. Marie-Antoinette’s signature bow in 18 carat white gold at 6 o’clock is paved with 87 brilliant-cut diamonds and two pear-shape diamonds whilst a briolette diamond sparkles on the crown. Like the Classique Rose de la Reine, the Désir de la Reine also has a pink satin strap but the deployment clasp is paved with 26 brilliant-cut diamonds. Breguet has captured the femininity that Marie-Antoinette epitomised for centuries after her death in two new fabulously ladylike pieces.

Price: 75,000 CHF (Classique Rose de la Reine) , 139,000 CHF (Désir de la Reine) breguet.com

By Inès Aloui

The eponymous watch brand launched in Paris in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet and run by the Brown family for a century ( 1870-1970 ) turned its attention to watches designed especially for pilots in the 1950s.

The first model of the steel chronograph designed for aeronautics was bought and tested by Louis Breguet in 1952 but it wasn’t until 1954 that the workshop bid on a tender from the War Ministry ( now the Ministry of Defence ) despite supplying the US Army since 1918 and the French aircraft manufacturer since 1922. The specifications were clear: the watch had to be easy to read, sturdy, easy to handle with a power reserve of at least 35 hours ; a real mechanical instrument with every pilot’s must-have flyback function worn on the wrist or screwed to the cockpit dashboard like in the 1920s. The watch was named Type XX in tribute to Louis Breguet’s aircrafts and approved by the French State. Over 2500 timepieces were provided mainly to the French Airforce who chose a model with a 30 minute counter whilst the French Naval Aviation department opted for one with an anti-magnetic internal container and 15 minute counter.

The Type XX couldn’t look more different to classic Breguet watches. It doesn’t have a pale engine-turned dial, hour rim with Breguet numerals or slim blue openwork “ pomme ” hands off-centre; its black dial features large Arabic numerals, two counters at 3 and 9 and wide luminescent hands. The indentation that adorned past Breguet designs reappeared on the Type XX’s bezel and the large crown. The notches gave the watch a masculine and military look.

The 38mm round steel case was unusually large for the time and its Valjoux 22 calibre (manual wind mechanical movement providing a 35-hour power reserve) had a flyback function. The flyback was one of the demands listed in the War Ministry’s specifications enabling wearers to reset and restart the chronograph. The resistance of the case and pushers was reviewed to ensure the watch could handle hundreds of manipulations with ease.

Breguet made the third generation of the Type XX almost 50 years later in 1995. The Type XX 3880 Aéronavale was true to the spirit of its forebear but with a contemporary design and technical features. The 39mm steel case had a rotating bezel bearing the minute scale and housed the self-winding Breguet 582 calibre with a chronograph and flyback function. The hour numerals and hands were coated in tritium (a radioactive material that’s now banned in watchmaking and usually replaced by Super-LumiNova) on the matt black dial whilst a chronograph hour counter joined the small seconds and minute counters.

Three versions of the Type XXI 3810 chronograph were unveiled at Baselworld 2011 : rose gold or titanium case with a chocolate dial and polished bezel or titanium case with a black dial. Its case had grown to 42mm and housed the self-winding Breguet 584Q/1 calibre which, on top of the signature Type XX functions, also fuelled the date, day/night indicator and 45-hour power reserve.

The Type XXII 3880 launched in 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Type XX delivery to the French Airforce and was a little more complex than the aforementioned models. Its self-winding Breguet 589F calibre featured cutting-edge watchmaking technology. Its high-frequency escapement (10 hertz, 72,000 beats per hour) had a Breguet balance wheel with timing screws, a spring, anchor and silicone escapement wheel. The flyback chronograph’s mechanical movement had a second time zone and date. Its notched 44mm case with a bidirectional rotating bezel came in steel ( black dial ) or rose gold (chocolate dial) on a leather or metal strap. The hours and minutes stood in the centre whilst a second time zone appeared at 6 finished off by the seconds at 9. The red varnished chronograph seconds hand tracked a 30-second scale split into white and red sections whilst the minutes ticked by in the centre.

By Sharmila Bertin breguet.com

The Houses of Breguet and Bugatti recently gathered in Tokyo for an exclusive cocktail event. On this occasion, VIP clients, journalists as well as watchmaking and automobile aficionados attended a private presentation on the history that unites both brands.

Introducing the Breguet Type XXI 3817

The history of Breguet is intrinsically linked to that of aviation. We know all about the fabulous timekeeping inventions by Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) but his great-great grandson, Louis Charles Breguet (1880-1955), also made a huge contribution to technological advances in both the watch (by designing the first Type XX watches for pilots) and aeronautics sectors (he designed gyroplanes, hydroplanes and bombardiers in the early 20^th century).

This age-old bond is now epitomised by the Type XXI 3817 whose slate dial features the design signatures of the time with large luminescent Arabic hour numerals beneath chunky hands.

The 42mm steel case houses a self-winding calibre by Breguet that fuels the time functions, flyback chronograph, date, day/night indicator and 48-hour power reserve.

Price: 13,500 CHF breguet.com

By Sharmila Bertin

Introducing the Breguet Classique Hora Mundi 5727

Breguet unveiled the Hora Mundi 5717 in 2011 with its hand-engraved map of America, Europe, Africa or Asia and Oceania on the dial. The brand has released a more classical but equally stunning version of the model for 2016.

It’s called Classique Hora Mundi 5727 and features the signature instant time zone system with memory. Unlike a traditional GMT watch, this piece has no subsidiary display but just a pair of hour and minute hands. The mechanical memory with heart-shaped cams can be set to remember two different time zones. Press the pusher at 7 and the hands jump from one to the other and automatically take the day/night and date markers with them.

The dial features a Clou de Paris engraving in the centre as well as a “flammé” and “panier” pattern in the day/night indicator at 4.

Price: 67,000 CHF (rose gold) – 67,500 CHF (white gold)

Par Fabrice Eschmann

breguet.com