Making The Leap

Breguet’s Tradition range gets its first date complication – and it’s no run-of-the-mill date window.

byLynette Koh

WHAT IT IS

A distinctive watch family with exposed, symmetrically arranged movement components, Breguet’s Tradition collection honours a series of pocket watches created by renowned 18th-century horologist Abraham-Louis Breguet. Launched in 2005, Tradition includes models such as a time-only watch, a chronograph and a GMT. Now, Breguet introduces the first date complication in the series. Instead of a run-of-the-mill date window or an analogue date subdial, the Tradition Quantieme Retrograde 7597 features a retrograde date indicator, where the date hand jumps back to one at the end of each month.

HOW IT LOOKS

We’ve always liked how the Tradition watches combine classical high-horology finishes with the almost-industrial appeal of neatly exposed wheels and bridges. The retrograde date arc between 9 and 3 o’clock heightens this effect, especially with the addition of a blued-steel hand that has been carefully bent to allow it to smoothly clear the mechanisms below. Elsewhere, the Tradition’s handsome trademarks are all present: an engine-turned guilloche dial at 12 o’clock, Breguet hands, a fluted caseband and linear, welded lugs.

HOW IT WEARS

While sports watches often spring to mind when people think about large timepieces, dress watches can wear quite a bit larger than their dimensions suggest because of their lug designs. Here, the long, straight and welded lugs – a Breguet signature – add several millimetres to the 40mm diameter of the watch, while the narrow bezel also makes it look larger than it sounds on paper. That said, the Tradition 7597’s imposing presence adds to its classical yet modern appeal, making it a compelling new member of the family.