Breguet Tradition

Breguet’s timepieces are more than simple wristwatches — they’re works of art.

Take the Tradition series, for example: Introduced in 2005, this decidedly avant-garde looking design actually echoes the movement architecture and open worked design of the firm’s 19th-century souscription pocketwatches. (Sourscription watches, for the non-French speakers in the house, were timepieces that were sold on a subscription basis — the buyer would put down 25%, with the rest due upon delivery.)

This example, a Reference 7027, is a drop-dead gorgeous melding of classic Breguet aesthetics that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. Housed in a perfectly sized 38mm yellow gold case with Breguet's signature ribbed 'coin edge' mid-case, a sapphire crystal, and signed crown, it features a silver guilloché dial with ‘Breguet’ hands and ‘Roman’ numeral indices set atop a completely open-worked movement with a sandblasted 'frosted' main plate.

This movement, the manually-wound Breguet Calibre 507 DR, is more than just the engine powering the watch’s time-keeping functions. With its straight-line lever escapement arranged along the bottom edge and 50-hour power reserve indicator, it bridges the gap between Breguet’s horological innovations of the 18th and 19th centuries with inventive, modern industrial design.

Paired to a signed, brown alligator leather strap with a signed yellow gold pin buckle, this incredible piece is the perfect companion for in search of a cutting-edge expression of classic timekeeping.

Few companies are so steeped in history that their name has become a byword for a particular type of product or style. Breguet is one such company: Their famously elegant numerical typeface and matching handset is now de rigueur amongst the most sophisticated dress watches, from Patek Philippe to Longines to, of course, Breguet itself.

However, these numerals and hands are but a single innovation in a long list of horological firsts devised by master watchmaker and inventor Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), a Neuchatel-born savant whose Parisian career saw the advent of myriad watchmaking creations that we take for granted today. Indeed, it was Breguet who devised the first self-winding watches, as well as the first gongs for repeating watches and the tourbillon. Not many inventors can claim the king and queen of France as patrons, but indeed King Louis XVI and his bride Marie Antoinette were amongst his admirers.

20th-century Breguet is no less storied: The company’s Type 20 pilot’s chronograph issued to the French Aéronautique Militaire in the 1950s provided a benchmark for military watch design. Its stark black dial and utilitarian look belied the sophisticated retour en vol (“flyback”) mechanism within the movement, which allowed a pilot to stop, reset and start the chronograph by depressing the bottom pusher just once.

More recently, under the current management of Mark A. Hayek, modern Breguet has continued to register new patents and amass a dedicated following. The brand’s “Classique” dress watches from the 1990s and 2000s, for example, feature some of the most striking dials in modern watchmaking, making use of guilloché patterns, blue steeled hands and Roman numerals. While the company’s contemporary offerings continue to increase in sophistication and the number of complications available, it’s surely these simple, gorgeous time-only models that best encapsulate the elegant timepieces of A.L. Breguet himself.

Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.