Epitomizing the quintessence of classicism since 1775, Breguet watches also embody inventiveness and creative serenity. The Classique collection, representing the archetype of this horological symbiosis, regularly returns to the forefront to celebrate certain major milestones in the history of Breguet. At Baselworld 2016, the Classique collection welcomes ladies’ and men’s models serving as vivid reminders of Breguet’s pre-eminent rank on the watchmaking scene. Both the technical content and the aesthetic appeal of the new Classique 7147 emphasize the impressive heritage of the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix winner of the 2014 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

The first such historical element takes the form of Breguet’s iconic open-tipped hands, developed by the maestro in the 1780s to remedy the legibility issues affecting the hands of that era, which tended to be excessively short, broad and ornate. The extreme slenderness of these gold or blued steel versions and the elegance of this new shape not only established itself but was soon widely imitated, to the point where watchmaking jargon adopted the term “Breguet hands”. Another aesthetic distinguishing feature of Breguet watches in general, and of the Classique collection in particular, is the omnipresent sense of respect for decorative codes. On the Classique 7174, the expertise perpetuated by a few noble watchmaking Houses including Breguet is thus expressed on its entirely hand-guilloché silvered gold dial, mainly adorned with “clou de Paris” hobnailing along with a cross-weave pattern around the offset seconds subdial at 5 o’clock. The slender elegance of the white or pink gold case appeals as much as its finely fluted caseband.

The sapphire crystal provides a chance to admire the micro-rotor of its haute horlogerie self-winding movement, equipped with another Breguet invention that has also become part of standard watchmaking parlance. This is of course the “Breguet balance-spring” equipping this ultra-thin (2.4mm) caliber, in this instance made of silicon. It is perhaps less well known that it has now been ten years since Breguet presented its first balance-spring in this material that is insensitive to magnetic fields and ensures enhanced resistance and lightness. Finally, these new Classiques models also recall the decisive role played by the inventor Abraham-Louis Breguet in the first self-winding watches, thanks to the development of a reliable oscillating weight ‘à secousses’ (which responded to the wearer’s movements and ordinary walking) fitted in a watch acquired by the Duke of Orleans in 1780. “The watch that winds itself” considerably heightened the burgeoning fame of Breguet at the time. As timeless, high-performing instruments for more than two centuries, Breguet watches continue to prove with the Classique collection for ladies (see article on page 46) and men that they remain perpetually contemporary, forever and beyond…