Luxury watchmaker Breguet is now presenting two new additions – each available in white and rose gold versions – to its Classique family. The latest Classique Dame makes a bold statement with its resolutely contemporary dial and a mechanism enabling the wearer to change straps as desired, while the new Classique 7337 Calendar features a modern style yet retaining the strong codes that have forged the brand’s history
Classique Dame 8068
From now on, it will be as easy to change the style of the Classique 8068 watch as it is to slip on another pair of shoes. For the first time in the Breguet collections, the brand is offering three interchangeable straps in the same boxed set. The rapid interchange system has been designed to allow the wearer to easily switch from one strap to another without any need for tools.
Simply pressing the pusher located under the strap enables the user to lift up, remove and replace it with one of the two other straps, each fitted with a gold buckle. All that is needed is to position the slot on the far end of the strap level with the lugs, in a 45-60 degree position, before clicking it into place to ensure firm fastening.
It only takes a few seconds to switch from a black satin fabric strap to a colourful alligator leather strap: teal blue and Byzantium purple for the white gold version; and peacock blue and raspberry pink for the rose gold iterations. In addition to the different styles possible thanks to its straps, the dial of the new Classique Dame 8068 also features a new look that is a blend of modernity and refinement.
The crown, initially offered with a blue sapphire, is now fitted with a cabochon-cut diamond. The 30 mm case features a bezel and lugs set with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds. The mother-of-pearl dial is adorned with a very fine guilloché pattern handcrafted by the manufacture’s artisans. To bring a light visual touch, Breguet’s signature Arabic numerals now compose the chapter ring. Finally, a subtle oval cartouche bearing the brand logo appears at 12 o’clock.
The new Classique 8068 is driven by Calibre 537/3 with its 191 components. The platinum oscillating weight is hand-engraved on a rose engine with a circular barleycorn pattern. Its balance oscillates at a frequency of 3.5 Hz. The rhodium-plated self-winding movement is endowed with a 45-hour power reserve and is equipped with an in-line Swiss lever escapement and a silicon balance spring.
In addition to being resistant to corrosion and wear, silicon is insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields and improves the precision of the timepiece. The case is water-resistant to 3 bar (30 m) and its movement decorations such as chamfering and the Côtes de Genève motif embellishing the various movement components can be admired through the sapphire back.
Classique Calendrier 7337
This elegant, subtle, and pure new interpretation by Breguet is resolutely contemporary without compromising its aesthetic origins. The brand’s various decorative skills are indeed present throughout the watch. Its off-centred dial is adorned with a very fine Clous de Paris hobnail guilloché pattern hand-engraved on a rose engine by the in-house artisans.
The outer dial features a circular barleycorn motif. The moon phase at 12 o’clock is designed to provide powerful realism. The gold moon is hand-hammered and the clouds surrounding it have been given a fine sandblasted treatment with a matt texture. Its sky is coated with a blue lacquer composed of spangles subtly revealing the stars depending on the angle from which the timepiece is viewed. The hours, minutes and seconds are indicated by the traditional blued steel open-tipped Breguet hands. The date and day are respectively placed at 2 and 10 o’clock. The windows feature a broad aperture for enhanced readability.
At the heart of its 39 mm white or rose case beats Calibre 502, which is one of Breguet’s thinnest movements at just 2.4 mm thick. Its design was conceived to provide a high level of performance despite its slenderness. Its barrel is open in order to enhance this slim aesthetic while guaranteeing constant energy and performance. Its oscillating weight is off-centred to provide maximum space for the main movement elements and is thus integrated within a minimum thickness. This rhodium-plated self-winding movement consists of 236 components. It is equipped with a silicon balance-spring as well as an escapement featuring an inverted straight-line pallet-lever with silicon horns. Silicon boasts multiple properties. In addition to being resistant to corrosion and wear, it is insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields and improves the precision of the timepiece.
This movement that can be admired through the sapphire caseback highlights a skill dear to Breguet: decoration. While the white gold oscillating weight is hand-engraved on a rose engine with a circular barleycorn pattern, the other components are graced with chamfered finishes and a Côtes de Genève motif. Finally, the balance of the new Classique Calendar 7337 oscillates at a frequency of 3 Hz and has a 45-hour power reserve. Available in 18K white or rose gold, this new timepiece is fitted with a strap in midnight blue for the white gold model and a mysterious brown for the rose gold version.
The Classique collection
Featuring a design representing a blend of purity and refinement, the Classique collection faithfully illustrates the strong aesthetic of the brand’s origins. Above and beyond his talent as a watchmaker and inventor, Abraham-Louis Breguet was also one of the first designers. When the company was founded in Paris in 1775, baroque style was all the rage. He invented and initiated the neoclassical style in watchmaking – an aesthetic vision that gave the dials an avant-garde look while making it easier to read the watch’s indications.
He created open-tipped hands, the guilloché pattern and the off-centred dial, to name but a few of these novel stylistic features. The latter achievement appeared as of 1812 on pocket watches and established the brand’s DNA. Inspired by these creations, the first interpretation of the Classique 7337 wristwatch was introduced in 2009. The 2022 version is a contemporary and elegant incarnation of the original watch, while remaining faithful to the powerful signatures of the Classique line.
