The Black Enamel & Pink Gold Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes (Live Pics & Price)

Abraham-Louis Breguet and his inventions… Surely, when it comes to that topic, the tourbillon will be first in line, followed by the anti-shock pare-chute device, and many more. The man also put his mark on chiming watches, in particular by the minute repeater. While A.L. Breguet didn’t invent this mechanism, he perfected it by creating the first repeating watches striking a spring blade instead of the bell-type gong, paving the way for the system still in use today, coiled gongs. As a tribute to its founder, Breguet has just released a new edition of its Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes, a watch as pure as it gets, entirely focused on its musical complication, in a splendid combination of pink gold and glossy black grand feu enamel. 

Available previously in a typical Breguet fashion, with a solid gold guilloché dial featuring a small seconds and a 24h counter, the Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes (or minute repeater) was revamped last year in a highly elegant, sleek style. Offered in 18k white gold, with a Breguet-blue enamel dial, it continued the style of the Classique 5177 and the tourbillon 5367 platinum. The other important update… Breguet made it as pure as possible, by focusing solely on the chiming complication and offering a 2-hand display, with the additional functions. Extremely elegant and refined.

This year, the Breguet Minute Repeater 7637 will be offered in a new edition. Still based on the clean expression of last year, it brings a new combination of colours and materials, with an 18k pink gold case, with a black dial. More striking, more contrasted and much warmer, it remains pure and elegant, just with more punch. The case, measuring 42mm in diameter for a reasonable 12.2mm in height, is typical Breguet. The thin bezel is polished, the flanks are fluted and the lugs, straight and thin, are individually soldered and feature the classic screw pins at their tip. Sapphire crystals are used front and back and the minute repeater function is performed by a trigger on the left side, in the most classic manner.

Contrasting with the bright and warm gold case is a new black grand feu enamel dial. Representing a mixture of silica and ground oxides, the coloured powders are dissolved in water before being applied to the dial. Each layer and colour applied requires an additional firing at a set temperature of over 800 degrees Celsius and for a carefully programmed time. When in contact with this heat, the enamel ignites and melts to create each layer. A complex and time-consuming process that results in an inalterable surface… On this dial, the Breguet Arabic numerals, the minutes track and the Breguet logo are highlighted in a powdered silver colour. The hours and minutes are displayed by open-tipped gold Breguet hands. Nothing demonstrative, only pure elegance…

Moving to the back of the Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes, one can discover a highly decorated movement, with fully engraved bridges. This movement, despite its modern construction, is designed in a highly traditional way with a central guitar-shaped bridge and 3 finger bridges for the gear-train – which is known to be the classic Lemania base. The hammers, made of black polished steel, are striking a set of gongs that are positioned in a contemporary way. The gongs are fixed to the case middle instead of the plate. As a result, they vibrate directly and transmit sound more effectively. Additionally, the gongs are crafted from gold to produce, according to the brand, a harmonious sound quality with a wealth of partials (overtones). This hand-wound movement beats at 2.5Hz and stores up to 40 hours of power reserve when fully wound.

Worn on a black alligator strap, closed by a B-signed folding clasp in 18k pink gold, the Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes Black Enamel will be part of the permanent collection and priced at EUR 264,700. For more details, please consult www.breguet.com.