In 2005, the House of Breguet launched the Tradition collection of timepieces distinguished by a unique construction: the movement components are showcased on top of the main plate. This year the original and remarkable line presents a new design version of the Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde 7097 with a blue-colored guilloché dial. This new model will be exclusively available in Breguet boutiques.
This wristwatch, like the rest of the collection, inspired by the subscription watches, recalls the genius of Abraham-Louis Breguet who first invented these one-hand pocket watches in 1796. They were fitted with a special movement of great simplicity and sold by subscription: a down payment of a quarter of the price on order and the rest on delivery. Abraham-Louis Breguet used the movements of his subscription watches to create his first tact watches.
The Tradition 7097 pays tribute to the beauty of the calibers of the subscription and tact watches by revealing the bridges, wheels, escapement, barrel, and other components of the movement, which are usually hidden beneath the main plate. Refined finishing enhances the visual balance displayed by the symmetrical bridges. The bridges and main plate are decorated to achieve a uniform, finely grained surface, which requires rare skill and faultless execution. The gold winding rotor borrows its shape from historical movements while the classic clous de Paris —hobnailing— guilloché pattern, executed by hand, highlights the blue dial in gold, positioned off-center at 12 o'clock.
This timepiece gets its name from the retrograde seconds hand at 10 o'clock. Cased in 18K white gold with a diameter of 40 mm, the hours and minutes are shown by Breguet-style open-tipped hands in rhodium-plated steel. In order to provide optimum readability and to highlight the retrograde seconds’ complication, Breguet watchmakers used a semicircle with a circular brushed finish superimposed on the dial. To maintain the symmetry, the pare-chute is located at 4 o'clock. This Breguet invention, which protects the balance staff from shocks, can be identified at a glance as the emblematic feature of the Tradition collection. It is the forbear of all the shock-protection mechanisms in use in watch-making today, including the Incabloc system.
The 7097 reference features advanced technology. Its 40mm case houses a movement with an inverted in-line lever escapement with silicon pallets and a silicon Breguet overcoil balance spring that guarantee exceptional precision.
The Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde 7097 watch is the result of the technical and aesthetic excellence which Breguet consistently strives for. Its refined and pure style honors the legacy of the House, while its technical characteristics are the prerogative of a watchmaking company that is resolutely turned towards the future.
Sticker Price $36,100 USD. For more info on Breguet click here.
