A LESSON IN TEXTURE

Few timepieces embody elegance like Breguet’s dress watches. For its 2020 collection, the maison has given the iconic Classique 7337 a new look

THE HOUSE OF BREGUET is one steeped in tradition. Its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, is widely and consistently regarded as one of the most iconic figures in horology. Over the years, Breguet owners have comprised historical personalities such as Queen Victoria, Napoléon Bonaparte and Sir Winston Churchill.

For its new Classique 7337, Breguet has expanded on the venerable timepiece’s visual palette to include a rose gold model with a silvered gold dial. A white gold model with a gold dial finished in “Breguet blue” will also be available to cater to contemporary tastes.

Purists appreciate the Classique collection for its representation for

Breguet’s unmistakable design language.

The Classique 7337 proudly displays this through its guilloché. Breguet is one of the few watchmakers that continue to operate the rose engine lathe by hand in the practice of this time-honoured technique.

Guillochage emerged in the 1500s, and was first practised on softer materials like wood and ivory. It was only during the 1700s that it started seeing applications on metal. By the late 18th century, watchmakers were experimenting with the technique, and Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of its earliest adopters. With time on their side and a penchant for maintaining important traditional crafts, it’s no surprise that Breguet ranks as one of the best in this particular area.

Hand-guillochage is as intimate as it is ornamental; the act requires patience, dedication and mastery of the tools. The artisan (or guillochéur) controls the process via a series of cranks which orientate the dial while applying various amounts of pressure to advance the dial against a cutter.

A steady hand is necessary for this, as even the slightest wobble will result in an inconsistent engraving. Unsurprisingly, the entire process is extremely time-intensive and requires razor-sharp focus.

The dial of the Classique 7337 features a trio of guilloché: barley grain for the edges of the hour chapter ring indexed with Roman numerals, checkerboard for the small seconds and Clou de Paris in the centre. The moon phase display on the timepiece has also been remodelled by Breguet to feature an embossed moon, depicted in shiny relief and matte grooves for greater depth. Meanwhile, the day and date apertures located at 10 and two o’clock respectively brings to mind Breguet’s No. 3833 quarterrepeating pocket watch ‒ another nod to the manufacture’s history.

Breguet’s extra-thin, hand-decorated Calibre 502.3 powers the Classique 7337. The movement features a reduced thickness, an open barrel and an offset rotor (also with guilloché applied). Apart from being visually striking, this distinctive design also allows the wearer to distinguish the barrel spring through the sapphire case back.

The 39-millimetre Classique 7337 comes with a 45-hour power reserve and is waterresistant to 30 metres. Both the rose gold and white gold models will be available with a blue alligator leather strap fitted with a gold folding buckle. Simple but elegant, the Classique 7337 reaffirms Breguet’s dedication to the timeless codes set in place by its founder. AM