Baselworld/SIHH

Baselworld 2010: Breguet

 

Some of the most substantial novelties of this year were presented by Breguet. The start was marked by the stunning "Tradition Fusée Tourbillon" in platinum.

Besides its breathtaking beauty, the Fusée Tourbillon features a technical innovation: for the first time, a silicium hairspring was shaped with a Breguet overcoil. Meanwhile, it is not overly difficult to etch flat silicium hairsprings, but due to the innate brittleness of the material the spring, while able to "breath" in one flat layer, is likely to break if bent into another direction. Therefore, it is quite an effort to produce an overcoil on a silicium hairspring.

From a horological point of view, though, such a silicium overcoil is useless. The main reason why silicium hairsprings are increasingly popular with the watch industry, is not the material's neutrality regarding magnetism; the antimagnetic attributes of modern Nivarox are good enough for our watches. However, unlike a metal wire, that has always the same cross-section and thickness, a silicium hairspring, etched from a plate, can be given any shape and thickness variation wanted. Thus, the spring can be designed to breathe centrally, making unnecessary any specially shaped end curves, like the famous Breguet overcoil.


At Breguet, people are well aware about this fact, but: "What would a Breguet be without Breguet overcoil?"Of its 15 basic movements, Breguet intends to switch 8 to silicium hairprings during this year.

Anyway, the "Tradition Fusée Tourbillon" is a wonderful timepiece. The ruthenium-coated bridges and cocks make it appear modern, and match nicely the tourbillon cage and balance wheel made from titanium. The platinum case has a diameter of 41 mm.

My personal favourite of this year's Breguet novelties is the already classic "Tradition", but now in a larger case of 40 mm. Instead of simply putting the known movement from the 37mm version into a larger case, Breguet redesigend the movement, resulting in a larger dial and - consequently - greatly enhanced legibility. The new integration of the power reserve display might lead to some discussions, but I think it to be well done.


Breguet's first complication developed exclusively for ladies is the wonderful "Reine de Naples Sonnerie au Passage". This small timepiece with its distinct shape features a chiming mechanism striking every full hour on two coils. The two hammers can be seen through the white mother-of-pearl dial, while the displayback reveals the hand-engraved automatic movement, shaped to resemble a dove.


Despite its small size, this watch chimes clearly and loudly.

Several months ago, I mused about who would be the first company to release a functionl 10 Hertz-escapement, knowing that several manufacturers were undertaking massive efforts into this direction. I had just not thought that Breguet would be this company. The basic advantages of such a high-frequency escapement would be a gain in accuracy, and a smoother-moving second hand. Theoretically, a chronograph equipped with this movement would be able to measure intervals of 1/20th of a second.

As far as I know, Breguet's "Type XXII GMT" chronograph now is the first fully mechanical 10 Hertz watch. The full escapement is made from silicium, with its low mass being the main condition for such a high oscillation frequency.

While being technically groundbraking, the rest of the "Type XXII" is a bit weird, to say the least: First of all, the chronograph second hand does not cover sixty seconds with one circulation around the dial, but only thirty. So it passes the distance between two minute/second indexes in half a second. This should make it easier to distinguish the 1/20th of a second stopped. However, when we recall how impossible it is to really read the 1/10th of seconds on the chronograph dial of a Zenith "El Primero", it is clear that reading 1/20th on a distance twice as long will not be better. In the contrary: the legibility of the 30 seconds-chronograph hand is as far away from intuitive as it can be. The user of the chronograph has to re-calculate every reading: is the chronograph hand at 6, it has passed not 30, but only 15 seconds, is it at 7, it has not passed 35, but 17.5 seconds, and so on ...


Additionally, the central 60 minutes-counter does not jump and therefore does not permit a really clear reading of the (half-)minutes elapsed. Therefore, the Breguet designers had to add an additionally, somewhat strange display at 12, indicating wether the chronograph hand is in the first or the second half of the minute.

To lead weirdness even further: What appears to be a conventional 12 hours-counter at 6, is in fact a second time zone hand. To permit the distinction of a.m./p.m. of this display, a separate 24 hours-display has been added at 3; apparently overlooking that the latter alone would itself be completely sufficient for showing a second time zone, without the loss of the chronograph's 12 hours-counter.


Personally, I think the first 10 Hertz-movement could have been housed in a watch designed with more care for useability, and more worthy for such a highly innovative technology.

The massive "Marine Royale" alarm watch had been displayed already last year. This year, the large 45 mm case is complemented by matching white or pink gold bracelets. The overall weight of this combination is not disclosed, but in case that the watch is really worn by divers, a lead belt is clearly unnecessary.


Finally, a highlight of this year's Basel fair is shown by Breguet's "haute joaillerie" department: the "Crazy Flower". This is much more than a diamond-encrusted lady's timepiece. Its 116 baguette diamonds arranged around the case in three rows, are all hinged on one side, permitting them to move up and down. Depending from the movement of the wrist this extraordinary piece of jewellery is strapped upon, the diamonds move like a flower opening and closing its petals. The 226 diamonds on the dial are but an additional detail, the show is made by the moving baguettes.

EDITORS NOTE:

Breguet may be considered a premier brand within the SWATCH Group portfolio together with a handful of true haute horlogerie brethren. Like a good thoroughbred, you know it has a special place in the stables with special rations and its luxury stall, when the chairman himself continues as head groomer after relinquishing daily management of the whole Group to a successor.

 

Having revived the brand from modern obscurity, Mr Nick Hayek Sr. polishes this jewel in the SWATCH crown personally and carefully manages its image. Many people still don’t ‘get it’ when they see Breguet as the sponsor of cultural and architectural restoration projects, asking: “Where is the profit in that?” They do not grasp Mr Hayek’s subtle and integrated campaign to recapture the patrimony that is Breguet’s with a history and personal links with famous and infamous people, real and fictional characters, through time. The restoration of the Triannon at Versailles is a portal to the past, before the 2^nd and 1^st Republics and to Marie Antoinette, a contemporary of A.L. Breguet.

 

Having stunned us with the revolving dual tourbillon and Messidor watches in the past, we wondered what Breguet had in store for 2010. Many brands have ‘returned to their roots’ during this economic recession and focused on their core strengths with simpler designs but executed well.  Breguet did not disappoint me that much this year. My favourite was also the 'Tradition with Silicium'- what a melding of two opposing words! For the ladies, the steel Queen of Naples watch is a master stroke in marketing and should be a commercial success.

 

Melvyn Teillol-Foo

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