The Majestic Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035

A 250^th anniversary is already a remarkable achievement for a watch brand, but a 250^th anniversary celebrating the undisputed horological star of the 18^th century, Abraham-Louis Breguet, is quite another. Pulling out all the stops to commemorate this illustrious milestone, Breguet has released a series of anniversary editions, including the magnificent Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 we introduced in May. A compact beauty that distils 250 years of technical and aesthetic innovation, the 7035 is equipped with some 21^st-century tweaks that the maestro would surely have relished. As a man of the Enlightenment devoted to developing new technological solutions, A.L. Breguet would be delighted to see the appreciation his innovations still produce today, but would probably turn in his grave if he thought his brand was exclusively dedicated to slavishly recreating the past. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look.

Breguet’s Tradition collection, launched in 2005, is inspired by A.L. Breguet’s historical Souscription and Tact pocket watches, not unlike the Classique Souscription 2025 that opened the festivities. Apart from his mechanical wizardry, A.L. Breguet was a savvy businessman and came up with the concept of subscription watches in 1796. A precursor of crowdfunding, a customer could make a 25% down payment to finance the construction of a relatively robust and straightforward single-handed pocket watch at a modest price. Three years later, he introduced another crowd-pleasing Tact watch, featuring an external hand and markings on the case that allowed the wearer to consult the time by touch.

As a member of Breguet’s Tradition collection, the 7035 wears its heart on its sleeve, so to speak. Instead of exhibiting some of the original components on the caseback, Tradition models embrace a contemporary openworked approach, revealing the bridges, wheels, escapement and barrel on the dial. Inspired by the symmetrical movement architecture of A.L. Breguet’s Souscription pocket watches, the mainspring barrel is positioned in the centre of the dial flanked by two fan-shaped bridges, one reaching over the large balance wheel with its Breguet para-chute shock absorbing system at 3 o’clock and another at 9 o’clock for the centre wheel of the going train.

However, this description of the layout, something we’ve seen in earlier editions, such as the Tradition 7097 of 2015 and the incredible women’s high jewellery version 7035, would not do justice to the watch. As a 250^th anniversary edition, the Tradition 7035 is a very special watch.

Starting with the visual impact provided by the marriage of Breguet gold and Breguet blue, two in-house colours that elevate the aesthetic appeal of the watch. Breguet gold is a proprietary alloy (75% gold enriched with silver, copper, and palladium) developed to commemorate the brand’s 250^th anniversary. Inspired by the gold used by 18^th-century watchmakers, the warm hue of Breguet gold is a far cry from brighter, flashier tones of gold, endowing the case with a wonderful antique appeal.

Another appealing detail is the compact case size. Unlike other current members of the Tradition family with larger diameters, the Tradition 7035 boasts a perfect 38mm diameter, complemented by a height of 12.6mm. Naturally, the “unmistakable signs” of a Breguet watch are present with the classic fluted caseband and welded lugs with screw bars. And since classic Breguet watches have long lugs, the 38mm diameter is very welcome.

At noon, a beautiful blue hand-guilloché sub-dial floats above the symmetrical mechanical display. Hand-guilloché or engine-turned dials are closely associated with A.L. Breguet, who introduced them in 1786 to enhance legibility and protect his watches against counterfeiting. A new pattern, Quai de l’Horloge, inspired by the River Seine as it meanders around the Île de la Cité (the site of Breguet’s workshops in 1755), is hand-engraved on the gold dial before receiving the Grand Feu enamel treatment in the special in-house Breguet blue tone.

Classic Breguet Arabic numerals are used for the hours, which are highlighted in a contrasting silver tone that matches the dainty fleur-de-lys minutes track and the inscriptions on the sub-dial. The rich Breguet blue tone is echoed in the blued screws used throughout the dial and the retrograde seconds display to the left of the time display. Naturally, the 18k Breguet gold hands are quintessential open-tipped style hands developed by A.L. Breguet in 1783 along with the highly legible Arabic numerals.

A specially developed plating system has allowed the mainplate and bridges to reveal a similar golden colour to the 18k Breguet gold case. The rich golden landscape of the dial features a contemporary bead-blasted finish on the mainplate, a silky matte satin treatment on the upper surface of the bridges and a circular brushed finish on the barrel. The silver-coloured gears, the blued screws and ruby-red jewels contrast dynamically with the golden background.

No less fascinating, the golden elements on the reverse side, with sleek satin-brushed bridges and a shot-blasted mainplate, highlight the large platinum crescent-shaped rotor. Referencing Breguet’s use of a heavyweight platinum oscillating weight in his innovative perpétuelle self-winding system, the rotor is a fitting nod to the grand horologist. Pivoting on a ceramic bearing, the rotor completes a 360° rotation. This is as far, though, as historical tributes go. The calibre 505 SR is a contemporary automatic movement that beats at 3Hz with a Nivachron balance spring and a central barrel for the 50-hour power reserve.

The strong visual identity of this watch leaves no doubt as to its provenance. Honouring A.L. Breguet’s innovative mechanical solutions in a contemporary openworked setting, the Tradition 7035 is like wearing a slice of watchmaking history on your wrist.

A limited edition of 250 pieces, the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 retails for CHF 43,000 (incl. taxes) or EUR 50,400 (incl. taxes). For more details, please visit Breguet.com.