A lush mother-of-pearl dial in midnight blue, dramatic dustings of diamonds, sparkling stars, a diamond paved dial and the brilliantly decorated tourbillons, a mechanism developed by the Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented by Breguet in 1801. The house of Breguet has just added two new versions of its dashing tourbillon into its Classique Tourbillon 3358 collection. These timepieces are outfitted with dials that dazzle and within contain the great watchmaking mechanism that is the twirling tourbillon. 

The first model is in white gold and presents a dream-filled starry night as diamonds appear to glide over its pearled and varnished mother-of-pearl dial in midnight blue.  More gold stars adorn the dial and some of those are adorned with a diamond. The tourbillon is right there at 6 o’clock and is delightfully decorated with an imposing shooting star-shaped bar composed of 45 snow-set diamonds crossing over the tourbillon. And creatively at its center, a blue spinel acts as a pivoting stone for the tourbillon carriage. The mechanism in operation can be viewed on both the front and back of the watch whose bezel and lugs are also set with diamonds while the crown is embellished with a rose-cut diamond, adding further sparkle to the timepiece. 

The second model is a stunning affair of rose gold and diamonds with a rose gold case framing the dial which is adorned with 281 diamonds. Positioned at the base of the dial, the tourbillon is integrated into a curved and polished oval-shaped aperture and enhanced by a rounded gold bar topped off with 14 diamonds. The tourbillon is further enhanced by the color play between the timepieces gray and pink-colored contrasts. The bezel and lugs are set with diamonds, in addition to the crown, which features a rose-cut diamond. And on this rose gold model, the sapphire case-back also enables the wearer to admire the hammered, hand-engraved decoration.

Housed in a 35 mm case – water-resistant to a depth of 100 feet (30 meters) – these two new Breguet timepieces are equipped with the 187 D movement, whose balance oscillates at a frequency of 2.5 Hz. This hand-wound movement is outfitted with a 50-hour power reserve. Renowned for its robustness and precision, the caliber is equipped with a steel Breguet balance-spring featuring a hand-crafted Breguet terminal curve. Meanwhile both models are outfitted with a glossy alligator leather strap in midnight blue for the white gold version and crimson red for the rose gold iteration. 

The white gold version, Starlit Night, is equipped with an 18K white gold bezel, lugs and crown set with 70 diamonds, a blue mother-of-pearl dial featuring stars set with 6 diamonds and an off-centered chapter ring. Its lustrous alligator leather strap enjoys a white gold triple folding clasp set with 42 diamonds. Meanwhile the rose gold model, Stunning Sight,  has a case in 18K rose gold, bezel, lugs and a crown set with 70 diamonds while its dial is in gold set with 281 diamonds and an off-centered chapter ring in natural white mother-of-pearl. Its alligator strap is outfitted with a rose gold triple folding clasp also set with 42 diamonds. 

Breguet’s Classique collection features a design of purity and refinement and faithfully reflects the strong aesthetics of the brand’s origins. For while Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of the great watchmakers and inventors he was also one of the first designers initiating the neoclassical style into watchmaking. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.breguet.com/en