Baselworld 2012:  Another new piece from Breguet, this one a bit different look from the traditional.  Part of Breguet’si Héritage collection, this watch features a selfwinding calibre 586L movement with platinum winding rotor on the inside, and a  moon phase indicator with hours and minutes on the engine-turned mother of pearl dial.  In addition to rose gold case that is pictured, the Breguet Ref 8860 will also be produced in white gold case in either matching bracelet or woven strap (also pictured).

Breguet Heritage Phases de Lune Retrograde (Ref. 8660)

35mm x 25mm curved tonneau rose gold case, fluting on the caseband, dial with a centre in mother of pearl, engine-turned by hand in a flinqué alterné pattern; chapter ring in frosted silver-plating.  Moonphases with a rose gilt moon at 1 o’clock.

Rose gold case on a matching gold bracelet, Ref. 8860BR/11/RB0
White gold case on a woven leather strap, Ref. 8860BB/11/386
White gold case on a matching gold bracelet, Ref. 8860BB/11/BB0

Baselworld 2012:   Finally some 2012 Breguet!  Couple ni ce ones first here’s the Breguet Classique Chronométrie Ref 7727, a nice mix of classic breguet design and cutting edge high-beat movement technology.   Lot to say on this watch but first notice the “10hz” dial notation — you may recall this high-beat movement innovation appearing in the 2010 Breguet Type XXII Ref 3880.   The Ref 3880 ST with a frequency of 10 Hz was the resulting of Breguet’s research into high frequencies aimed at a closer and more stable measurement of time. It was the first series-produced watch with a movement of 10 Hz.  At the same time, the brand introduced the world’s first magnetic governor for the strike in the Breguet Réveil Musical (both Ref 3880 and Reveil Musical are nicely profiled in the new Breguet iPad app). With this alarm watch it demonstrated that instead of trying to counter the effects of magnetism, the phenomenon could be harnessed to improve the operation of watch movements.   Though to me the “10hz” symbol seems almost incongruous with the very classical Breguet dial design, in a weird fusion sort of way, I like it.  More on this watch below, but first a look:

Breguet Classique Chronometrie (Ref. 7727)

41mm rose gold case (white gold also avail), welded lugs, Dial: 18-carat silvered gold, engine-turned by hand in six different patterns, power-reserve indicator at 5 o’clock, small seconds at 12 o’clock, silicon hand indicating tenths of a second at 1 o’clock, Movement: Cal. 574 DR, hand-wounded numbered and signed BREGUET. (60-hour power-reserve, in-line Swiss lever escapement in silicon, silicon balance-spring. 10 Hz frequency); fitted on Strap: Leather strap.

Now a few more thoughts/details on this watch.  In the matter of styling, you see the hours and minutes are off -centre on the dial, while the small seconds at 12 o’clock recall the first eccentric dial produced by Breguet 200 years ago.  Curiously, “a patented silicon hand” indicates the tenths of a second at 1 o’clock.  The pare-chute shock absorber is also visible at 2 o’clock, another Abraham-Louis Breguet invention (1790).  Finally,the power reserve indicator is clear 5 o’clock. As is the Breguet tradition, the dial reflects masterful use of engine-turned patterns — 6 different patterns to be exact:  “Geneva waves” in the center main dial, a “clou de Paris hobnailing” design adorns the small seconds dial, the tenths -of-a-second counter displays a “sunburst” pattern, the power-reserve indicator is decorated in “chevrons”, the chapter ring for the hours has an “edging” decoration and the outside edge is in a “barleycorn” pattern.  The use of these patterns to visually distinguish different “sub sections” on the dial of a watch and as well to add to its beauty is something that Breguet does better than any other.

This watch is fitted with a calibre 574 DR hand-wound movement with a Breguet magnetic balance oscillating at 10 Hz on a silicon spring, and an in-line Swiss lever escapement in silicon.  A stop-seconds feature allows the watch to be set to a time signal. The rose gold case, water resistant to 3 bar (30 m), has a sapphire-crystal caseback displaying the movement.

Note also:  the fluting on the caseband, the polished steel Breguet hands, the welded lugs, the unique number as well as the secret signature.   The reference 7727 also comes in a white-gold case with a leather strap.

Baselworld 2012: Breguet’s emblematic “Tradition” collection is being enriched this year with an original model in 18-carat rose gold. This “Grande Complication” timepiece featuring a tourbillon, fusee and chain transmission, and a Breguet balance spring in silicon, joins the existing models in yellow gold and platinum. Inspired by the legendary souscription watches created by A.-L. Breguet, this objet d’art symbolizes both a return to roots and a resolutely forward-looking brand vision. It’s pure, modern aesthetic sets the stage for the tourbillon and the fusee and chain transmission located on the upper part of the mainplate. This sculptural piece highlights the contrast and relief effects, giving vibrant life to each component. These technical accomplishments symbolising Breguet’s horological excellence are duly protected by four patents.

Ref. 7047BR/g9/9ZU

Case in 18-carat rose gold with a finely fluted caseband. Sapphire crystal back. Diameter 41 mm. Rounded lugs welded to the case, screw-secured spring-bars. Water-resistant to 3 bar (30 m).

Dial in black-coated engine-turned 18-carat gold, off-centred at 7 o’clock. Individually numbered and signed Breguet. Chapter ring with Roman numerals. 60-second tourbillon at 1 o’clock. Polished steel “moon” tip Breguet hands.

Movement mechanical hand-wound with tourbillon, anthracite coating. Numbered and signed Breguet. Cal. 569. 16 lignes. 43 jewels. 50-hour power reserve with power-reserve indication on the barrel drum. Constant torque ensured throughout the running of the watch thanks to the fusee and chain transmission. Titanium upper bridge of the tourbillon carriage Breguet type tourbillon bar. Straight-line Swiss lever escapement. Breguet titanium balance with four gold adjustment screws. Breguet silicon balance spring, 2.5 Hz. Adjusted in 6 positions. Alligator leather strap.

Breguet recently announced the launch of an iPad application for its new corporate magazine, “Quai de l’Horloge”.   I downloaded it last night to give it a try — and WOW was I impressed.   It is  by far the best iPad app by a watch brand (yes, even IWC’s app, which I find good content, but overall too clever by half).   The best part of the Breguet magazine app is the CONTENT, major kudos to Editor Jeff Kingston on this — I was totally immersed in the great articles on the Breguet Hora Mundi and Breguet’s pioneering work in the use of guilloche.

The magazine is published in 8 languages and gives its readers an insight into the brand’s philosophy, its exceptional heritage, the rich cultural ties to its products, and much, much more.  The app is is very intuitive and easy to use — crisp navigation, rich and detailed high-res photos and meaningful story lines.  Get this app today for excellent insights to one of the world’s most renowned watch brands.  For any watch enthusiast and iPad owner, Breguet’s Quai de l’Horloge app is a must have.

(click through to Apple iTunes page where you can download Breguet’s iPad app)

Sample screen shots, courtesy iTunes

Continuing my preview for ONLY Watch 2011 (see all the watches here) — here’s a first look at the Breguet Réveil Musical watch.  This watch will be similar to the original Breguet Reveil Musical watch except for a couple of unique features, namely the music-box style tune it plays  — “Castle in the Sky” — and the specially decorated dial which depicts a child whose hand is reaching out to an adult hand, a symbolic gesture of the “inter-generational solidarity and support for research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy”, according to Breguet.  The interesting thing to me is the patented music-box mechanism on this watch.  Basically, the dial is connected to a disc carrying pins (thus replacing the traditional music-box cylinder) which act upon the 15 metal teeth of the comb, resulting in the beautiful sound of music box music.  Further, the dial itself rotates one full rotation while the music box tune is being played, about 20-25 seconds.

Breguet Réveil Musical Watch for ONLY WATCH 2011

Unique Piece

48mm white gold case (16.3mm thick), automatic mechanical movement, caseband finely engraved with a musical stave, caseback personalised for Only Watch 2011 and engraved with the inscription “pièce unique”

Castle In the Sky Music Box Tune

Ed’s note:  I am fairly confident, but not 100%, that this is the tune the watch plays:

Also, and I believe this is a little known fact, but the Breguet Reveil Musical watch also incorporates a Liquidmetal^® membrane which serves to amplify the frequencies required to emit the tune.  Liquidmetal is a exclusively licensed for use in watches by the Swatch Group, but is much more broadly recognized for its use in Omega watches such as the original Liquidmetal Seamaster Planet Ocean and the more recent Titanium Liquidmetal Seamaster Planet Ocean.

Long a fan of the Breguet Type XXI watches (my favorite being the Ref 3810 rose gold case on dark brown strap), I was excited to see the Breguet Type XXI Ref. 3810 issued in a Titanium case this year at Baselworld 2011.  By way of background, the Breguet Type XXI watch was inspired by the Type XX chronograph, itself designed by Breguet for the Aéronavale française (the French naval air arm) during the 1950s.  The new Breguet Ref. 3810Ti you see here features an automatic flyback chronograph movement, with matte black dial and luminescent hands and hours markers, and a black lacquered rotating bezel with numerals in relief.

Breguet Type XXI Titanium Ref 3810TI

42mm titanium case, comes on a calfskin leather strap (pictured) or titanium bracelet

The only peculiarity is the use of “grade 2″ titanium instead of the more common “grade 5″.  Perhaps it is because Grade 2 titanium is considered “commercially pure” (i.e. unalloyed), whereas Grade 5 titanium is only about 89% titanium.  At the same time, because it is an alloy, Grade 5 titanium is significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium while having the same stiffness and thermal properties — hence its widespread use for high performance components in the aerospace, medical, and marine industries).  I suppose there is an argument for each of the Grades (i.e. “purity” vs. “performance”) in a watch such as this.

Opening Day at Baselworld!

“World timer” watches are definitely IN right now, with Montres Breguet joining the realm with this beautiful Classique 5715 Hora Mundi.  Long time Breguet aficionados may recall that Breguet had already introduced a first Hora Mundi watch in 1996, in the Marine line, however the 2011 version has markedly different functions.  Breguet notes that the 5717 Hora Mundi is the first example of a mechanical timepiece with an instant-jump time-zone display, allowing the traveller to easily display the time in two pre-selected time zones, changing instantly from one to the other simply by pressing a button, without disturbing the operation of the watch.  The cover for this disc, representing a cloud and bearing the Breguet name and the watch’s serial number, is engraved entirely by hand.  A remarkable watch from Breguet!  Stay tuned for more — the Breguet lineup is really good this year!

Breguet Classique 5717 Hora Mundi

44mm diameter red gold or platinum case (13.55mm thick), Breguet caliber 5717 with silicon escapement, sapphire caseback

Accurate operation during setting is ensured by a stop second system. Changing the time zone affects not only the time, but also the date synchronised through a calendar tracking system – and the day/night indicator.  Three versions of the dial are available, each representing one part of the world: the Americas, the European and African continents, or Asia and Oceania – six references in all.

How to read the watch:

The disc appears in a window on the dial at 12 o’clock. The window is large enough to show three consecutive dates at once. For example, on the 25th of the month, the number 25 will cross the window from left to right over a period of 24 hours. Gradually, the 23 disappears, then the 24, and the 26 appears, followed by the 27.   However, to avoid any confusion in reading the date, Breguet’s watchmakers have made an improvement. To the dragging calendar system they have added a tiny retrograde hand, hidden beneath the dial and ending in a small circle. The circle surrounds the day’s date as soon as it appears at the left side of the date window, and follows it through the day until it disappears at the right side of the window. At midnight, the hand with the circle jumps back to the left side of the window to indicate the date of the day just beginning. This entirely unique system is designed to make reading the date easier in a dragging calendar configuration.

This watch’s most iconic complication, however, is its instant-jump time-zone display system with synchronised date, day/night and city indications, a world first for a mechanical watch. This function lets the wearer preselect, from among the cities listed for the 24 time zones, two cities for which he wishes to display local time. He can then change from one to the other by pressing on the combined crown/pushpiece at 8 o’clock, which triggers an instant jump. For example, assume it is 4 pm in Paris on the 25th of the month. Rotating the combined crown/pushpiece reveals «Paris» in the window at 6 o’clock, then the crown at 3 o’clock is used to set the hands to 4 o’clock and the date to 25, taking care that the day/night indicator shows the sun. For quick display of the local time in Sydney, the crown/pushpiece is first rotated to bring up the name of the Australian city in the window at 6 o’clock; the watch then automatically sets itself to Sydney time. Since the difference in time is nine hours, the hour hand will move forward by nine hours. At the same time, the date will change to the 26th and the day/night indicator will turn to show the moon. When it is 4 pm in Paris, it is in fact 1 am the next day in Sydney. Once the watch has been preset, the double instant-jump time-zone display system will simultaneously change all the indications – hour, date and day/night – in a coordinated way from Paris time to Sydney time when the wearer simply presses on the crown/pushpiece. This complication will thus prove extremely useful for frequent travellers, or persons in contact with others living in distant countries; it allows them to get in touch with such people while being certain that they are not waking them up in the middle of the night.

***

As a huge fan of the Breguet Type XX, XXI and  Type XII watches (ann’d earlier this year), this new limited edition Breguet Type XX Aéronavale watch is quite exciting to me.  The watch pays tribute to the original reason for the Breguet Type XX — the French Fleet Air Arm aka Aéronavale (the equivalent of the U.S. Naval air fleet), first ordered the Breguet Type XX chronograph in 1958 in a series of 500 numbered from 1 to 500.  The now collectible Type XX’s were equipped with the “flyback” function (as all the Type XX watches), and identifiable by the characteristic caseback engraving “BREGUET MARINE NATIONALE AERONAUTIQUE NAVALE ”.

In 2010, Aéronavale is celebrating its hundredth anniversary.   To honour the 100th anniversary of the Aéronavale Breguet is issuing this special Type XX in a limited, numbered edition of 1,000.  Limited, numbered series such as this are a rarity for Breguet – so as you might have guessed there is a special kinship between Breguet and Aéronavale that makes this watch possible.  Indeed, brand namesake A.-L. Breguet himself was appointed official watchamker to the French Royal Navy way back in 1815.  And I also surmise that the late Nicolas Hayek himself was behind this project at some point.

Breguet Type XX Aéronavale 2010 (Ref. 3803)

Limited, Numbered Edition of 1,000 – Price: $9,200 (surprisingly reasonable)

39mm steel case, black lacquered rotating bezel with raised numerals, automatic flyback chronograph movement Breguet caliber 581, calfskin leather strap, special presentation box

specially marked caseback

However, under no circumstances would I buy this watch.  This is simply because, as an American, the tribute to French Naval forces has absolutely no sentimental meaning to me.  Enjoy it, France!

New for 2010…

Breguet Marine Royale (Ref 5847BB/12/BZ0)

45mm 18-carat white gold case, automatic movement, alarm (marked by the blue triangular hand, on/off indicator at 12 o’clock, alarm power reserve indication aperture between 9 and 11 o’clock), date, luminous hands, water-resistant to 300m, sapphire-crystal caseback.

Did you know it has been just over 10 years now since Swatch Group acquired Breguet?  Yes indeed, I tell you its true, but enough history for now.  The watch you see here represents the 2010 model for Breguet’s Marine collection.  In addition to the specs above, the watch is also available in white gold with black dial, rose gold with black dial, and rose gold with rose gold dial.    I estimate prices for all these models will be in the $35,000-$45,000 range.

While I think that the Breguet Marine collection has gotten stronger each of the past few years, and while I could certainly see myself “looking good” while sporting a watch like this off the upper deck of something like this, I still have trouble seeing this as a true “dive” or even “marine” watch, though with 300m water resistance and Breguet quality construction I’m not sure if my perception is warranted or not.  It’s just that when I think of Breguet, “King of Tourbillons” is often the first thing that pops into my head, not marine/dive watches.

Don’t get me wrong — I generally like Breguet watches, and if I had my druthers, I would opt for a Breguet Type XXI (specifically, the very striking, very awesome Ref 3810BR/92/9ZU – pink gold case with dark brown dial and brown strap) or perhaps even the new Breguet Type XXII rather than this Marine watch.  But to each his own, right?  Let me know what you think of this watch and Breguet in general — drop a comment below!