Basel 2008 Report: Breguet
By: Marcus Hanke (registered) Saturday, April 19th, 2008Basel 2008 Report: Breguet
Text and pictures: Timm Delfs
Text and pictures: Timm Delfs
One of the key events during Baselworld was definitely Nicolas G. Hayek’s unveiling of his version of the ‘Marie Antoinette’. The original of this watch had been ordered from Breguet in 1783 by an officer of Queen Antoinette’s guard as a present to her. The client asked the master watchmaker to include all complications he could think of and apparently set no limit for the price of the watch. It took so long to finish the watch that neither Marie Antoinette nor Breguet himself lived to see it accomplished in 1827. The queen died on the Guillotine in 1793, Breguet died in 1823 at the age of 77. All in all It took Breguet’s watchmakers 44 years to accomplish the task. After his death the watch stayed in the family for a long time.
Later in the 20th century the watch was sold to the L. A. Mayer Institute in Jerusalem, a museum from which the watch was stolen along with other important treasures in 1983. In 2005 Nicolas G. Hayek, who now completely dedicates himself to his baby, the Breguet brand, decided that he wanted to have his watchmakers reproduce the famous watch solely based on photographs and the drawings by famous watchmaker George Daniels. When, after two years’ work, the watch was nearing completion, the news spread that the original watch had finally reappeared.
At Baselworld 2008 Hayek was visibly proud to unveil the masterpiece of his team from the Vallée de Joux. He took it out of its shrine carpented from the wood of Marie Antoinette’s favourite tree in Versailles and had his bath in the crowd, always carrying the precious watch in front of him. In the questions and answers session after the presentation, he made a very happy impression except when journalists referred to his watch as to a copy. “This is the original” he would reply “it’s an original Breguet”.
In his book, George Daniels describes the watch as being “more complex than complicated” because Breguet included complications he had formerly already used in his watches. The complexity resides in combining them all. The movement contains the following complications: perpetual calendar, equation of time, minute repeater, power reserve, automatic winding and a thermometer. It doesn’t contain the tourbillon, Breguet’s most ingenious invention.
As for new watches, in the ‘Classique’ line Breguet introduced a new model reflecting the dial of the famous pocket watch Nr. 5 and being an evolution of the Ref. 3130. With 39mm the Ref. 7137 is slightly larger in diameter than the Ref. 3130. Its guilloché dial shows a circular date at 6 (instead of the small seconds of the Nr. 5), a power reserve at 10 and a moonphase at 2 o’clock. The greatest change in its dial lies in the moonphase which, compared to other such indications, is upside down and not tilted as in the Nr. 5 and the Ref. 3130.
Another beautiful exemplary of the “Classique” line is the chronograph Ref. 5247 in rose gold. Its main feature, apart from its beautiful 12 ligne manual winding movement with column wheel, is the enamel dial featuring a red spiral-shaped tachymetric scale. It covers a range of 35 to 360 units per hour.
The Minute-Repeater and Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5447 must be mentioned because the R&D department of Breguet have massively improved the acoustics of the chimes and the watchcase. The watch gives off a very full and clear sound.
In the tonneau-shaped “Heritage” collection it is the Ref. 5497 that needs to be mentioned because of its refined dial design. The guilloché massive silver dial elegantly follows the curvature of the case and sapphire glass. The recessed round dial for the hour and minute hand and the opening for the tourbillon at the position of 6 o’clock give it additional depth. The Roman numerals are cut out from one leaf of silver placed on top of the dial adding to the 3D-effect. The Roman numeral VI functions as the tourbillon bridge. A very elegant watch indeed.
For the ladies Breguet has rediscovered the ancient art of cameo-carving. The limited edition Reine de Naples are equipped with unique dials carved from conch-shells representing different flowers.
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