The avant-garde appearance, with the movement almost completely exposed on the dial, is a continuation of the style and design established by founder Abraham-Louis Breguet. Transcending time since the 18th century, innovation has been incorporated into the Maison's tradition.

The Maison's tradition is embodied in every detail.
We will also incorporate advanced technologies.

Breguet's history began in 1775 when Abraham-Louis Breguet established a watchmaking workshop on the Île de la Cité in Paris. Having already been recognized for his skills during his apprenticeship, he created and innovated numerous watchmaking mechanisms in his own workshop, including the world's first practical automatic winding mechanism, the Perpetuel, as well as shock-resistant devices such as the Parachute and the Tourbillon. He displayed such talent that he is praised for advancing the evolution of watchmaking by two centuries. He also possessed a high aesthetic sense, creating a standard in the design of hands and Arabic numerals that continues to this day.

Breguet today continues to create timepieces that draw inspiration from and reinterpret the mechanisms and designs created by its founder, while also inheriting a spirit of innovation. In particular, the "Tradition" collection, launched in 2005, was born with two pocket watches created by the founder as its clear models. The two watches shown below are examples of these. The top one is the "Subscription," which was sold by reservation with a quarter of the price as a down payment to help the company recover from financial difficulties after the French Revolution. The simple movement, featuring only an hour hand, eventually evolved into the symmetrical structure shown below, with the hour hand exposed on the back of the case, allowing the wearer to tell the time by touch even in darkness. This was named the "Montre à Tact" (tactile watch). Using these as models, the original Tradition style was created, enclosing an offset dial and a symmetrical movement beneath a transparent sapphire crystal. The dial is adorned with guilloché engraving, a technique first applied to watches by the founder of Breguet. It is hand-engraved using the same manual machinery as in the original. The balance bridge, which marks the time in the lower right of the dial, is equipped with a shock-resistant mechanism modeled after the aforementioned parachute. The automatic winding rotor, which can be seen in the photo above, is modeled after the anchor-shaped weight used in the original Perpetuel. Furthermore, all the parts that make up the movement have been hand-polished and decorated, giving it the highest level of aesthetics befitting a watch that can be displayed from both the front and the back.

While the Maison's tradition is evident throughout, Breguet has also incorporated cutting-edge technology. Instead of the conventional alloy, they used silicon for the hairspring that drives the balance wheel's oscillation. Silicon, which can be molded far more precisely than metal, allows for the creation of ideal shapes, improving accuracy, and is also highly resistant to magnetism, a major enemy of mechanical watches. Breguet was one of the first to adopt this technology, leading the watchmaking world. Modern Breguet understands that without technological innovation, the continuation of tradition is impossible.

The offset dial on the left counts up and down for 60 seconds.

TRADITION AUTOMATIQUE
SECONDE RÉTROGRADE 7097

The hand pointing to the arc-shaped markings that overlap the offset dial is a retrograde seconds hand that counts 60 seconds from bottom to top and instantly returns to the zero position. By deliberately disrupting the symmetry of the left and right sides, the symmetry of the movement constructed on the lower side is emphasized. The base plate and the bridges supporting the parts are sandblasted and finished in slate gray using platinum group metal, while the rhodium-plated gears and balance wheel stand out, demonstrating skillful manipulation of finish and color. The hour and minute hands on the dial are a design conceived by the original designer and are a classic standard that other companies also call Breguet hands. After being shaped from steel, they are heated to produce a vivid blue color.

A retrograde date display that adheres to the beauty of symmetry.

TRADITION QUANTIÈME
RÉTROGRADE 7597

The first date display in the Tradition series, introduced in 2020, employs a retrograde mechanism that moves in an arc, similar to the seconds hand of the "7097" model above, and flies back at the beginning of each month, in order to avoid disrupting the symmetrical structural beauty as much as possible. The strongly curved, three-dimensional hand further accentuates the sense of depth created by the exposed parts. The date is adjusted using a button on the upper left of the case. Although the Maison has not explicitly stated it, there is a theory that the retrograde mechanism was invented by the first Breguet, and this mechanism was used for the date and day displays of the "No. 92" pocket watch sold in 1805. This blue dial is a new model for this year. The alligator strap is also carefully finished in the same shade of blue.

Published in the July 1, 2022 issue of BRUTUS magazine.
Photo: Masahiro Okamura
Text: Norio Takagi

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＊The information in this article is current as of the time of publication. Product information may be revised or changed without notice.

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