Breguet
Fabulously Blue: Breguet Classique 5177 and Limited Edition Marine 5517
This spring, Breguet is introducing two exciting new editions in its iconic blue color — the Breguet Classique 5177 with a Grand Feu blue enamel dial, and a new limited-edition timepiece produced in collaboration with Bucherer, which will form part of the latter’s highly acclaimed Blue Editions.
The Breguet Classique 5177
The new Breguet Classique 5177 with its Grand Feu enamel dial is emblematic of what makes a Breguet timepiece special in every way, in terms of design, craftsmanship and technology. During the 18th century, baroque exuberance was all the rage, but Abraham-Louis Breguet preferred the simplicity of refined aesthetics. His designs seduced the elite of the day who much preferred the unembellished neoclassical lines. Today, Bregeut pays homage to this classic style in its aptly named Classique collection.
Looking at the Breguet Classique 5177, it is difficult not to be mesmerized by its deep blue dial that has been crafted using the ancestral art of Grand Feu enamel. Previously available in white enamel with blued hands, this new Breguet Classique version has taken the blue color of the hands and transposed it onto the dial, offering a totally new timepiece in a deep blue color that contrasts beautifully with its rhodium-coated steel hands and indexes.
The Alchemy of Enamel
The art of crafting enamel watch dials has hardly changed since it was first used on pocket watches in the 1600s, however, today’s standards are far more stringent as it is important to find a color that will be perfectly uniform across the dial’s surface when it is fired in the kiln at 800 degrees Celsius. The particular challenge of creating the perfect blue dial on the Breguet Classique 5177 started right at the beginning of the process with the development of the pigments, which called for extensive research to get the color and texture exactly right.
This perfectly uniform blue enamel dial also features Abraham-Louis Breguet’s secret signature at six o’clock. The idea to include a signature on the dial goes right back to Breguet’s time as copies were a common problem even back then.
Tradition meets technology in the 777Q Caliber
The Breguet Classique 5177 is powered by the self-winding 777Q caliber, crafted at the brand’s state-of-the-art manufacture in the small village of L’Orient in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. The movement has a central second hand and a date in an aperture at three o’clock, providing simple but useful functions to the watch’s owner.
The movement includes some of Breguet’s most technological advances including a silicon lever and silicon escape wheel which optimize the watch’s chronometric reliability. The design of the movement, although highly modern in its construction, uses a shape of wheel that is reminiscent of Breguet’s creations from the late 18th century, making this reference a bridge between the past and the present.
Visiting the movement workshop where the 777Q is assembled, it is striking how the brand combines the expertise of the traditional watchmaker’s craft with the latest technology, always searching for the very best quality and chronometric reliability to provide its clients with the most precise timekeepers.
Bucherer Blue Editions
Continuing the blue theme, Breguet is also unveiling a brand new timepiece this spring in collaboration with the Lucerne-based retailer Bucherer. For two years now, Bucherer has been working closely with luxury watch brands to create limited editions for their boutiques with a blue theme. Each watch is developed jointly with each brand to offer an outstanding limited edition.
This is the first time Breguet is working with Bucherer on a special Bucherer Blue edition and together they are presenting a new Marine 5517 sports watch in deep blue tones with exclusive design elements. This new Marine timepiece features a redesigned fluted 40mm case in titanium with a central lug and a crown with a wave-shaped embellishment and a distinctive “B” for Breguet.
Turn the watch over and the rotor is on full display through the exhibition caseback. The rotor has been designed in the shape of a ship’s wheel, while the bridges have been decorated with a striped Côtes de Genève pattern like a ship’s deck, further reinforcing the connection to the sea.
The watch is powered by a mechanical automatic movement with a 55-hour power reserve and is water-resistant to 100 meters.
Into the Blue
Blue is a color that never goes out of style. On one hand, it can be elegant, stylish and traditional, yet on the other, it can be highly contemporary and modern. As Breguet loves to combine the best of traditional mechanical watchmaking with ultra-modern technology, ancient crafts with modern techniques, blue is a color that suits the brand and its clients to perfection.
The full version of this article will be published in the March issue of Revolution Swiss edition.