The new 'Breguet blue' version of the independent chronograph in the Tradition collection, which separates its mechanism from the time base, gives it a new, more modern and contemporary style.
Among the most representative of Breguetthe Tradition collection is a tribute to the origins of the House and the memory of the Master. At its basis, a search for the stylistic and mechanical avant-garde, realised according to the most modern production processes and the most up-to-date technologies, while still keeping in line with the brand's classicism. In 2015, the search for technological solutions, combined with the classicism of the aesthetic canons in the perfect Breguet style of the Tradition, resulted in the Tradition Chronographe Indépendant 7077. For this watch, the brand devised a system to overcome the weaknesses associated with the chronograph function in a mechanical watch. Activating the chrono functions can adversely affect the running of the time base, with consequences for the accuracy of the time display.
Hence the decision to separate, in the 580DR manual calibre, the operation of the hour and minute display from that of the chronograph, with two mechanisms that are independent and autonomous of each other. The oscillation frequencies of the two mechanisms are also different: a standard 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) for recording hours and minutes, and a 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations per hour) for the chronograph. The new "Breguet blue" version, a shade already experimented on other models in the Tradition collection, gives the dial a contemporary aesthetic and creates new contrasts that enhance its technical architecture.
Two independent gear trains for the chronograph and time base
Breguet's independent chronograph of the highest precision.
In the Tradition Chronographe Indépendant 7077, the separate energy source for the chronograph is not a barrel. The solution was the introduction of a blade spring, which is wound by working in flexion and is cocked when the chronograph is reset. Therefore, like classic single pushers, it must always be reset to zero after each activation.
The running time provided by the chronograph's mainspring is 20 minutes, but it is perfectly suited to the measurement of short times and, as activation is consequential to the reset of the chrono seconds, the charge will always be constant. Each of the two time trains has its own balance, both visible from the dial side, the hallmark of Tradition models.
A 'Breguet blue' dial
The style of the Tradition models revisited in technical and aesthetic terms.
The dial, perfectly in the Tradition style, features an off-centre hour and minute display at 12 o'clock in gold with 'Breguet blue', with the brand's characteristic features. That is, the hand-guilloché clous de Paris, the Roman numerals and the 'pomme évidée' hands.
On the left, at 10 o'clock, is the retrograde display indicating the chrono minutes from 0 to 20; on the right, at 2 o'clock, is the power reserve display for the 50-hour time base (that of the chronograph is indicated on the movement on the back side). An indicator with a rhodium-plated arrow hand indicates the start of the chronograph. The chrono seconds hand is positioned in the centre. The case is in white gold.
Price102,900 euro.
