This year's "Watch Collectors Week" theme is "A Good Watch" for me. Here, we'll focus on noteworthy brands in line with this theme. For the first installment, we'll introduce Breguet.

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Breguet is a prestigious luxury watch brand. With a long history of being loved by well-known figures such as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, it has created many important mechanisms for modern watchmaking.
Breguet is a brand that could be called a "genius in the world of watches," but what exactly makes it so appealing? While Breguet's superb "technology" is the first thing that comes to mind, this time we'll deliberately start by discussing the excellence of its "design" as we explore the appeal of this year's new releases.

The new "Classic 7337" embodies timeless design codes.

The "Classique" collection, imbued with timeless elegance, is the purest expression of Breguet style. Both the silver-finished gold dial and the Breguet blue gold dial are new additions for this year, and feature guilloché engraving, one of the brand's signature techniques. However, this is not merely decorative; it also serves a functional purpose, cleverly distinguishing each display for easy readability. The Breguet hands with rounded tips and Roman numerals also contribute to enhanced legibility.

The dial of the "Classic 7337" features a grain-like "Glendorge" pattern around the edge of the hour chapter ring, a checkerboard "Damier" pattern on the small seconds subdial, and a "Clous de Paris" pattern in the center. The lacquered sky of the moon phase display is divided by engraved clouds, and the sparkling dots evoke the galaxy. Looking at it, you can't help but let your thoughts wander to the sky.

The off-center dial, which can be considered the core design of the model, had been introduced in some pocket watches since around 1812. The quarter repeater watch "No. 3833," sold in 1823 and now on display at the Breguet Museum in Paris, is characterized by its offset time chapter ring at the 6 o'clock position and its moon phase display at the 12 o'clock position, and this layout is now used in the current "Classic 7337."

From the late 1930s, Breguet reintroduced classic design codes used in pocket watches, such as guilloché engraving and fluted decoration on the case band, into its wristwatches. This trend became firmly established between 1950 and 1970 with the collection now known as "Classic."

Breguet incorporates the timeless design codes invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet into its current watchmaking, and by continuing this tradition, it aims to pass on the classic appeal of "good watches" to the next generation.

The enamel, which expresses "Breguet Blue," is a special work of art.

Another model from the "Classic" collection that deserves attention is this year's new release, the "Classic Tourbillon Extra-Flat Automatic." We won't discuss the "tourbillon," the complex mechanism that this model incorporates and which was created by none other than Abraham-Louis Breguet, in detail here.
What I want to focus on this time is the enamel finish on the dial. Like the guilloché engraving I've discussed earlier, this feels like more than just decoration. While the word "enamel" is commonly heard, Breguet's enamel is different from ordinary enamel. It is a very special craft that demands precision, patience, and technical mastery from the craftsman.

What process is involved in creating this lustrous and beautiful enamel? First, the gold plate that forms the dial is ground and cleaned, and then a thin, even layer of enamel glaze is applied with a brush while it is still damp (this sounds simple in writing, but even applying it evenly is extremely difficult). This is then placed in a kiln and fired at a high temperature of over 800 degrees Celsius. After that, the enamel is layered and fired repeatedly until the desired color is achieved, and only then is the piece finally complete.

In the new model, several shades of blue are blended exquisitely, and in the final stage of the process, it is gently polished just before being placed in the furnace for the last time. This extra step gives the enamel a natural luster. The gold dial is then beveled in a specialized workshop that boasts highly skilled enamel techniques, and then the various elements used for the display are added. The craftsmen follow a very special technique to create a three-dimensional effect on the Breguet numerals, hour and second markers, and logo on the dial.

It is precisely because of the intricate decorations incorporating such advanced technology that, even with the complex "tourbillon" mechanism, it doesn't lean too heavily towards mechanical aspects, but instead quietly exudes a classical charm.

"Complex mechanisms" that continue to evolve further

And when it comes to Breguet, the most striking impression is the superb craftsmanship. The new Marine 5887 combines a new generation tourbillon with a perpetual calendar and an equation of time display. This model features two minute hands: a traditional mean solar time hand used by the general public, and a second minute hand that directly indicates the minutes in true solar time.

At the heart of the movement is a sapphire crystal disc that completes one rotation in a year, faithfully reproducing the cycle of the equation of time. This transparent disc has 12-month markings around its periphery, and the tourbillon mechanism located beneath it is also visible.

The running equation of time mechanism is performed by a set of gears called a "differential," which is a clever differential that can integrate two independent inputs into a single output. The minute hand displays mean solar time, which is done by the watch's main gear train, while a finger that traces the shape of a cam on a disc reads the equation of time information. The differential then performs the calculation formula to determine true solar time (mean solar time + equation of time), and the result is displayed by the minute hand of true solar time.

These two minute hands allow the watch owner to read both mean solar time and true solar time at a glance.

The "equation of time" display is linked to the "perpetual calendar." The calendar in this movement takes into account all the irregularities in a four-year cycle calendar, such as months with 30 or 31 days, and February 28th and 29th in leap years, and displays them correctly. This display style is also extremely unique within Breguet's collection and uses a newly designed mechanism. The day of the week and month are shown not by hands, but through small windows, and the date is shown by a hand known as a "retrograde" hand. This hand starts on the 1st and moves to the end of the month, and at midnight on the last day it instantly returns to the initial "1," and the date for the next month starts again.

Breguet watches have a long history and have gained a loyal following for their timeless appeal, thanks to their exceptional technical skills and the refined design that underpins their appeal.

Just as this brand inherits the designs and technologies of models it has previously released, while further refining them to create watches with new value, if you consider a watch to be something you'd want to pass on to the next generation as a "good watch," then you should definitely check this one out.

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