Results for Breguet

I told Breguet how to fix the brand - then they invited me to tour their manufacture

Andrew McUtchen visits the Breguet manufacture for an in-depth tour, and an in-depth conversation with CEO Gregory Kissling.

Introducing: Noah x Timex MK1 Anchor (Live Pics)

What We Know This week, Noah, the New York City–based menswear brand that has made a name for itself by blending modern streetwear aesthetics with classic Ivy style, has dropped yet another in their series of highly sought-after limited-edition collaborations with Timex. But this time, instead of evoking classic dress watches, they've opted to move in a sportier direction, reimagining Timex's MK1 field watch into a fun everyday watch. The new watch uses the 36mm version of Timex's MK1 field watch as a base, but swaps the military-inspired dial used in the majority of that line for a nautical-inspired silver opaline dial. The Timex logo stays put near twelve o'clock, with the cursive Noah wordmark joining it just below.  A printed minute track with lumed pips runs around the outside of the dial, and applied markers, alternating between Breguet numerals for the even numerals and dauphine-shaped markers — which mirror the lumed dauphine hands — representing the odd. The small seconds hand brings with it the most significant aesthetic choice on the watch. A red anchor, surrounded by a black railroad seconds track, backs the small seconds subdial and shouts on a dial that otherwise hums. The watch comes with two strap options, each made of a double layer of woven nylon, and fitted with quick-release spring bars. The first of these, and the one more prominently featured in the brand's marketing materials, is a red and navy double stripe, but the watch also comes with a so...

Anordain’s New Model 1 Combines Porcelain Dial and Custom Font

Best known for its affordable watches with fired enamel dials, Anordain is diversifying its offerings with the Model 1 Porcelain. Sporting a traditional porcelain dial, the new Model 1 showcases a brand-new, custom font that’s a twist on the traditional Breguet style, reflecting the brand’s focus on the finer details of design. Beyond a new design direction for the Scotland-based Anordain, the Model 1 is also represents a scaling up of its business. While the porcelain dial is made the old fashion way – painted by hand with a clay-based mixture – it can be produced at a higher rate than Anordain’s enamel dials, making the new Model 1 accessible both in terms of price and availability. Initial thoughts The Model 1 Porcelain is interesting from a business perspective. It underlines Anordain’s growth, as well as the brand’s strategy for dealing with its growth. Scaling up production sizeably while still preserving its speciality of traditional, artisanal-type dials is a prudent approach that maintains the brand’s identity. The Model 1 Porcelain, however, is not an industrial product. Rather, it retains the quirky character typical of Anordain’s watches. The watch is still typical Anordain with its clean design and thoughtful details. The dial and typography are appealing, especially with accents like the five-minute numerals and railway-like minute scale. The seemingly mismatched hands leave me with mixed feelings, but the whole is still attractive. The opti...

Seiko’s Latest Presage is a Handsome Surprise

The Presage is Seiko’s line of affordable dress watches that boasts impressive diversity, but there can be too much of a good thing; sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish one Presage model from another. The fresh-off-the-press Presage Classic Series “Craftsmanship” Enamel (HCC005) and Urushi (HCC006) are a pair of appealing watches, especially the striking HCC006 with its black and gold livery, which might be one of the best looking Presage watches ever. The HCC005 in enamel Initial thoughts The HCC006 caught my eye as soon as I saw it; the high-contrast colours set it apart from all other Presage models. It’s a strong proposition for anyone looking for an affordable dress watch that isn’t in the typical, conservative pale colours. Moreover, the Breguet-style numerals in gold powder lacquer add a degree of refinement rarely found in watches at this price. The only downside of the HCC006 is the gold plated case. Though it adds to the look, I generally dislike plated cases since they feel inexpensive. That said, given the accessible price, it’s forgivable. The HCC005 with an enamel dial is similarly good value, but less interesting visually as it’s similar to past Presage models. It is, however, a good, low-key alternative to the black and gold of the HCC006. The HCC006 with an urushi dial Artisanal craft for less The new pair stick to the familiar template of the Presage Craftsmanship series – making traditional artisanal crafts affordable. As is conven...

Hands On: Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357

As it undergoes a late-in-life rejuvenation, Breguet has been steadily updating models long in its catalogue, including its range of tourbillon watches. The Classique Tourbillon 7357 is the long overdue evolution of the 3350/3357 that was introduced way back in 1989. Upgraded inside and out, the 7357 is the new entry-level offering amongst Breguet’s tourbillon watches, but it is now more obviously haute horlogerie with a new look and a new(ish) movement. The details and finishing of the 7357 illustrate Breguet’s manufacturing quality, despite being based on a model from three decades ago. The 7357 is available in Breguet gold or platinum (pictured here) Initial thoughts The 7357 is essentially the 3357, upgraded in every respect. Even though the watch pictured is a prototype, and not perfectly clean, the improvements in finishing, materials, and construction are obvious. Compared to the competition, the 3357 was arguably out of date even 20 years ago; in contrast, the 7357 is competitive. The decoration has jumped several steps upwards, which is most visible on the front with a refined tourbillon bridge. While the movement architecture is based on the Lemania cal. 387 of the 3350/3357, it now boasts a longer power reserve and non-magnetic hairspring amongst other upgrades. Like many of the other facelifted Breguet models, the 7357 adopts a new look but one that’s still recognisably Breguet – a gentle diversification away from the established Breguet wristwatch styl...

Hands On: Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral

The Tourbillon Sidéral debuted last year to mark Breguet’s 250th anniversary. This year, the brand is celebrating the 225th anniversary of its founder’s best-known achievement: the tourbillon. For this occasion, Breguet released a quartet of new references, among them the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral ref. 7255PT, a 50-piece limited edition in platinum, once again featuring an in-house aventurine enamel dial. Initial thoughts Despite being the brand’s first-ever flying tourbillon, the Tourbillon Sidéral feels somewhat familiar. That’s because its cal. 187M1 is derived from the brand’s original wristwatch tourbillon movement, the cal. 558, released in 1989. That explains the familiar off-centre dial arrangement and full-plate architecture visible through the case back. Within this lineage, the Tourbillon Sidéral can be considered the spiritual heir and technical successor to the Classique Tourbillon Messidor 5335 released 2007, a watch that seemed to suspend its tourbillon in mid-air. In fact, this mystery tourbillon was driven by a sapphire crystal drive wheel, and its upper pivot was supported by a sapphire crystal bridge. The Tourbillon Sidéral elevates this concept to its natural conclusion, dispensing with the upper support bridge entirely, resulting in a true flying tourbillon. Unfortunately, the two-armed tourbillon cage itself spans almost the entire width of the opening, and at times resembles an upper support bridge, at least until the eye registers ...

Owner’s Review: the Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 8

I occasionally have a hard time understanding why some brands are so popular. It’s not that they don’t deserve to do well, but I see brands that don’t seem to be doing anything much different from their peers, let alone special, yet are many times more hyped. Why does one Calatrava-esque watch with Breguet numerals outperform another? But with Ōtsuka Lōtec, I get it. In fact, I don’t just get it, I’ve fallen for it. Then again, Ōtsuka Lōtec isn’t like any other brand. Jiro Katayama, the brand’s founder and lead designer/watchmaker, works from a different playbook. Where other brands pursue finishing and neoclassical elegance, he seeks beauty in the raw and industrial. Inspired by analog machines, measuring instruments, gauges, and the industrial design of the pre-digital age, there is something rough and unintentional (though completely intentional) about his watches. Considering he taught himself watchmaking in a workshop nestled in Tokyo, there is a certain logic to this aesthetic. It’s not born in the farm-strewn hills of Jura, but rather in one of the densest cities in the world. Nor is his education from a lineage of tradition. You won’t find perlage or anglage; surfaces are typically raw, brushed metal, and rarely painted, with only the occasional red highlight. While potentially a love-it-or-leave-it aesthetic, it has resonated deeply with the watch community, touching on a pure joy of mechanics. But, there is more to it as well, as his watches...

In Depth: Breguet’s Pendule à Trois Roues

The pendule à trois roues — three-wheel pendulum [clock] — was Abraham-Louis Breguet’s radical answer to a fundamental horological question: how much could a clock be reduced without sacrificing precision? On the February 3, 1788, A-L Breguet walked into the Académie Royale des Sciences on the rue Saint-Jacques and deposited a sealed envelope. A clerk assigned it the number 267. He told no one what was inside. The practice of the pli cacheté was well established in French scientific culture. An inventor who deposited a sealed description with the Académie secured a dated record of priority without surrendering the technical details to competitors. Breguet used it rarely, and this was the only time he used it for a clock. The envelope sat in the Académie’s archives through the Revolution, the Empire, the Restoration, the July Monarchy, and two more republics. It was still there nearly a century later, on December 5, 1881, when Louis Breguet, the founder’s grandson, asked for it to be opened. Inside was a description of a clock movement built around three wheels. By that point, the pendule à trois roues had been made in fewer than a dozen examples over roughly 23 years and had passed largely out of active horological discussion. The unsealing was a formality. The clocks themselves had already made their own argument, revealing another side A-L Breguet’s genius as an inventor. The idea and its ancestry The intellectual territory Breguet was entering in 1787 ...

Musings on the new Breguet Expérimentale 1

Breguet Expérimentale 1 is a tourbilon released by Breguet recently introduces several key innovations. We take a deeper dive. Here are our insights.

Hands-On: The Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357

If there was a way to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Breguet patenting the tourbillon, re-launching a version of the brand's iconic ref. 3350 was the obvious crowd-pleasing option. There was always something charming about that original tourbillon from the 1980s, but there were some downsides too. The new ref. 7357 is Breguet's best effort to solve those downsides, modernize, and give buyers what they say they've wanted for a long time. At a true-to-vintage 35mm diameter by 9.2mm thick (43mm lug-to-lug), with 30m of water resistance, it's the same but different. In a lot of great ways. For those not in the vintage or neo-vintage space, Breguet created an all-time great watch when Daniel Roth (prior to his own brand) worked for Breguet and modified a Nouvelle Lemania ébauche into a compact and impressive tourbillon wristwatch. You can see an original platinum ref. 3357 example below (the quick successor to the 3550). The tourbillon bridge design is different between these generations (both front and rear).  The guilloché pattern, finishing, and even the movement-side treatment are different, with a very neo-vintage hand engraving on the earlier example. That watch would forge the future of the Breguet brand and, after Breguet's then-owner, Chaumet, went bankrupt, push Roth to found his own brand, where the tourbillon became a focal point. So let's look at those changes a bit more closely. First things first, the new 7357 is, by no means, a budget option. Coming in at...

Interview: PS Horology’s Peter Speake is Still a Romantic About Watchmaking

Independent watchmaking is in a vastly different place than it was when legendary English watchmaker Peter Speake founded the Speake-Marin brand in 2002. While it might be a stretch to say indie watchmaking has gone fully mainstream, it’s certainly on its way–and Speake has seen that evolution from the ground floor.  The work Speake did with the Speake-Marin brand was undeniably influential. While Speake-Marin’s offerings were innovative, often highly technical, and decidedly modern in aesthetics, they embodied the kind of old world craftsmanship that this sector of watchmaking obsesses over. Perhaps more importantly, many of the pieces Speake-Marin crafted with Speake at the helm were some of the first to really push the concept of watches with a narrative. They played in the space between function and art with their designs, and did so boldly. That period of his career turned Speake into something of a hero of independent watchmaking.  Speake departed the Speake-Marin brand in 2017, at which point he founded an education platform called the Naked Watchmaker. With the Naked Watchmaker, Speake–whose early watchmaking background was in restoration and historical preservation–spent several years immersed in the inner workings of everything from the great mainstream brands to original Breguet tourbillions. Though he dabbled in consultancy throughout it all, it was unclear if  he would return full-time to the creative and retail side of watchmaking. With his new b...

In-Depth - The Origins & Evolution Of The Breguet Tradition Collection (Incl. Video)

Steeped in tradition, perfectly in place in the present, and not shy about welcoming the future, the Tradition collection by Breguet is perhaps the finest representation of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s true watchmaking vision. This cornerstone collection was introduced in 2005 and has reshaped the perception of modern watchmaking through something remarkable: the creation of a pocket-watch-style […]

Breguet’s Four New Tourbillons for the 225th Anniversary | with Gregory Kissling, CEO of Breguet

Breguet Drops Four Tourbillon Watches to Mark 225 Years Since the Patent

A quartet of new releases, one returning collector favorite, and a date that matters more than most anniversaries in watchmaking.

First Look - Breguet Releases 3 new Tourbillon Watches for the 225th Anniversary of its Invention

Precisely 225 years ago on this day (on June 26, 1801, or on 7 Messidor An IX, to use the French Republican calendar in force at the time), Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted the patent for what is, without a doubt, its most famous invention: the tourbillon. Designed to counter the problem of gravity affecting the […]

In-Depth - The Superbly Elegant new 35mm Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357

Tourbillon and Breguet are two words that belong in the same story. Indeed, on 26 June 1801, and thus exactly 225 years ago, Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted the patent for his invention, an anti-gravity device that he would name the tourbillon. And today, the brand celebrates this crucial invention by releasing a series of new […]

Fratello Talks: Breguet’s CEO On The Latest Tradition 7047, 225 Years Of The Tourbillon, And The Brand’s Future

On the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon patent, we sit down with Breguet CEO Gregory Kissling to discuss the latest version of the Tourbillon 7047, the brand’s enduring appeal, and the future of one of watchmaking’s most historic names. Before taking the helm at Breguet on October 1st, 2024, Kissling served as Vice President of […] Visit Fratello Talks: Breguet’s CEO On The Latest Tradition 7047, 225 Years Of The Tourbillon, And The Brand’s Future to read the full article.

Breguet Quartet for Tourbillon 225th Anniversary

Enjoying a new lease of life under chief executive Gregory Kissling, Breguet is continuing with the revamp and revival of its product range, this time marking the 225th anniversary of Abraham-Louis Breguet invention of the tourbillon. Breguet is rolling out a quartet of models for the occasion, starting with the compact and enthusiast-oriented Classique Tourbillon ref. 7357 that’s an old school 35 mm in diameter. That’s followed by variants of existing models. The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral ref. 7255PT takes things up a notch with a “mysterious” flying tourbillon and aventurine enamel dial, while the Tradition Tourbillon ref. 7047PT is a new look for the long-tenured model featuring a chain-and-fusee transmission. Lastly the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887PT gains a translucent, luminous grand feu enamel dial. The enamel dial of the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887PT features a Super-Luminova star chart Initial thoughts Breguet has steadily refreshed its current line up since Mr Kissling took over, while releasing a handful of all new models, like the innovative Experimentale 1. The new tourbillons mostly fall into the former category; all are based on existing models to varying degrees. Ironically, of the four new models, it’s the entry-level piece that’s arguably the most novel. The Classique Tourbillon 7357 is clearly based on the ref. 3350 of 1989, but it has a new case and dial (but retaining the small case size). The mov...

225 Years After The Tourbillon’s Invention, The Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 Spins In The Best Of Traditions

The year after Breguet turned 250, the brand celebrates another big milestone, the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon. It does so with several gravity-defying watches, and we had the chance to experience the newest Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047, a platinum 25-piece limited edition outfitted with a spinning one-minute tourbillon and a fascinating fusée-and-chain mechanism. The […] Visit 225 Years After The Tourbillon’s Invention, The Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 Spins In The Best Of Traditions to read the full article.

Breguet Marks the 225th Anniversary of the Tourbillon with Four New Watches

Introducing: Breguet Celebrates the 225th Anniversary of the Tourbillon with Four New Releases, And the Return of a Collector Favorite (Live Pics)

The year was 7 Messidor Year IX—or for those who don't follow the French Republican Calendar, June 26, 1801. After years of intense study and experimentation and some correspondence with his friend John Arnold (who similarly experimented with the concept before his death in 1799), Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted a 10-year patent for the "tourbillon." By 1829, Breguet and his workshop would only make 40 watches with the regulating organ, which was designed to eliminate positional errors and distribute oil (which often thickened in place), thereby lubricating parts more evenly. A Breguet four-minute tourbillon watch with échappement naturel, which sold at Sotheby's last year for CHF 1,880,000. Photo courtesy Sotheby's. Well, Abraham-Louis Breguet (and John Arnold) would be proud of how far the concept of the tourbillon has come—he may even be spinning himself if he saw some of the things that have happened with the tourbillon, like Alfred Helwig's invention of the flying tourbillon, let alone the first tourbillon wristwatch—and how many of those concepts have been integrated into watches made under his name. Add to that the fact that Breguet annually makes multiple times the number of his lifetime production, and it's just pretty cool how far things have come in 225 years. The Breguet Experimentale 1, which was launched late last year. The 10Hz, 1-minute tourbillon was one of the most extreme tourbillons ever made. Exposition out of the way, Breguet is celebrating t...

Hands-On: The Breguet Tradition GMT With Green Enamel Dial

Following a whirlwind year of releases for Breguet's 250th anniversary in 2025, this year's recent updates to the collection play it a little safer, with some enamel-focused changes to the brand's iconic Tradition series of watches. The fan favorites, I'm sure, are the 38mm Tradition Seconde Rétrograde models. But when I had a chance to check out some of the novelties a few weeks ago, it was actually the larger, 40mm Tradition GMT that caught my eye. Priced at $82,900, the Tradition GMT is very much a seriously priced contender in the haute horlogerie arena. But one look at the watch shows off so much of what makes it special, and most importantly, it's unabashedly Breguet. Add in the visual update of this current generation, and I think it's the best version I've seen yet. Much of what makes this version stand out is the main subdial at 12 o'clock. It's not every day that Breguet opts for a shade of green in the series—in fact, it's the first time in the Tradition line, as blues, blacks, golds, and greys seem to define much of the older collection. The execution of the gradient green-to-black grand feu enamel dial in this model is absolutely sublime. Enameling is one of the strengths I associate with Breguet's in-house capabilities, and here it's done very well, with a pleasant shade of forest green shifting to the dark black perimeter, all executed and fired by hand. While the Breguet logo and other dial markings are printed in a metallic silver finish for legibility,...

Breguet Classique Chronométrie Ref. 7727: The World’s Most Accurate Mechanical Watch?

The Inventor and the Survivor: Breguet Vs Vacheron Constantin

Put two authentic, luxury timepieces on a table, and you won’t kill a conversation. There may, however, be a second or so of awkward silence, as the recipient takes in what the hand has achieved.

In Depth: Leroy 01

The pocket watch format is experiencing an unexpected renaissance. From auction salerooms to high street queues, collectors of all stripes are talking about pocket watches more than at any time in recent memory. That makes it a perfect time to continue our series on groundbreaking historical pocket watches, including Breguet No. 160. This installment analyses the Leroy 01, which reigned as world’s most complicated watch — by most measures — for 85 years. The calm before the storm On the first of November 1897, Charles Piguet began work on an ébauche for which no contract yet existed. In his workshop at Le Sentier, a stone village strung along the floor of the Vallée de Joux at an altitude where winter arrives early and stays long, he opened a commission that would occupy the better part of seven years and produce the most complicated portable timepiece ever constructed. The formal agreement with his client, the Parisian house of L. Leroy & Cie — formerly known as Le Roy & Fils — would not be signed until January 1898. Piguet started anyway. In the Vallée de Joux, a man’s word was sufficient. This detail — two months of work before the ink dried — says something essential about the relationship between the French brand and the Swiss établisseurs on whom it depended. L. Leroy & Cie, founded in Paris in 1785 by Basile-Charles Leroy, had maintained that relationship across generations. When Louis Leroy, who had acquired the firm in 1889 and established a ma...