On 26 June 1801, Abraham-Louis Breguet registered the tourbillon patent. In tribute to the master's invention, the brand is launching a new pink gold version of its most complex model: the Classique Double Tourbillon Quai de l'Horloge 5345.
Two traditional tourbillons work in pairs and rotate in solidarity with the pivoting plate on which they are pivoted, with one complete rotation every 12 hours. Supported and connected by a central bridge acting as an hour hand. The Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon 5345 Quai de l'Horloge, an evolution of the Double Tourbillon of 2006, completely exposes the precious mechanism that moves the two tourbillons. It can be seen through a sapphire crystal dial that reveals a riot of hand-crafted workmanship that only very few brands are able to master.
Already made in platinum in 2020, this new version in rose gold also sports new types of decoration, such as the flinqué sunburst work on the rotating rose gold plate and on the bridge, in rhodium-plated gold, located under the plate.
Each tourbillon has its own gear train and is powered by its own barrel. The two trains are coupled via a pair of wheels to a central differential that mediates speed variations between the two oscillators, each rotating on itself within a minute. The two barrel bridges, stylised in the shape of a 'B', bevelled and polished, are completely sculpted and decorated by hand.
A tourbillon as you've never seen it
Engraved on the back of the movement (which does not rotate unlike the top one) is the image seen from above of the Breguet building on Quai de l'Horloge in Paris.
If the front view of the watch is a spectacle of gears and gears, the rear view proves to be a true work of art. A fixed plate (which does not rotate like the upper part of the movement, the manual calibre 588N2), made of gold, shows an extraordinary bas-relief engraving with grey contrasts, either rhodium-plated or obtained by galvanic treatment: the image seen from above Breguet's first atelier, at 39 Quai de l'Horloge in Paris.
The rose gold case with a diameter of 46 millimetres is 16.8 millimetres thick. With such a complex specimen, it was difficult to have a slimmer profile. But, at least in perception, the thickness seems more contained thanks to the thinning of the case middle and the maximisation of a box-type sapphire crystal.
Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon Quai de l'Horloge 5345: a celebration of technical and craftsmanship savoir-faire
The best of the Maison's art in one watch
A modern touch is provided by the blue rubber strap on which the Breguet logo is stamped. The Classique Double Tourbillon Quai de l'Horloge 5345 is a Breguet in its purest form despite a stylistic approach that differs somewhat from the brand's canons. Definitely not a dress watch but a demonstration piece, A concentrate of technique and craftsmanship at the highest level, where the artistic side of watchmaking is pushed beyond limits.
Price808 500 euro.
