Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. High Jewellery Meets High Horology with the New Breguet Classique Tourbillon 3358
Brequet’s signature tourbillon performs its majestic revolutions in a diamond-studded sky.
Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) embraced all facets of horology, from his gravity-defying tourbillon regulator to his neoclassical design language and legible displays. While the Reine de Naples is the go-to collection for women, last year, Breguet dipped into its Classique collection and confected two dazzling jewellery models: the Classique Tourbillon 3358. The latest interpretation in white gold is covered from head to toe in 407 diamonds and reveals the tourbillon in an oval-shaped aperture.
As the leading watchmaker of his day, Abraham-Louis Breguet enjoyed the patronage of France’s royalty, including Napoleon Bonaparte’s youngest sister, Caroline Murat (Reine de Naples), who commissioned a watch that could be attached to the wrist. Breguet’s extremely complicated wristlet no. 2639 for the Reine de Naples, marked the horologist as a precursor of wristwatches with complications.
This dazzling new Classique Tourbillon 3358, housed in a 35mm white gold case with a slim height of 9.3mm, is set with 69 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel and the top surfaces of the welded lugs; the only area of the case that reveals white gold is the signature fluting on the case band. Even the crown is set with a rose-cut diamond. Showcasing the gem-setting prowess of Breguet’s artisans, the entire dial is swathed with 281 brilliant-cut diamonds. The sub-dial at noon relies on a snow-setting that uses six different diamond diameters. Each brilliant-cut diamond is set randomly on the gold disc to recreate the sensation of freshly fallen snow. A white iridescent mother-of-pearl chapter ring encircles the snow-set centre and indicates the time with black Breguet numerals and classic open-tipped Breguet hands in blued steel.
In addition to the flurry of snow-set diamonds at noon, the dial is set with ribbons of diamonds that follow the contours of the large elliptical aperture containing the tourbillon. Starting from the top, the diamonds follow a curved setting, decreasing in size as they reach the aperture; they are skilfully set to hide any trace of the supporting metal.
The star of the show is the graceful one-minute tourbillon suspended in the polished gold oval aperture at 6 o’clock. The hypnotic 60-second tourbillon is secured by a gently curved white gold bridge set with 14 diamonds. Beating at a sedate tempo of 2.5Hz, Breguet’s in-house, manual-winding calibre 187D delivers a power reserve of 50 hours. The reverse side of the case reveals the shimmering decoration of the mainplate obtained by hand using a diamond burr. The material is hollowed out to reveal reflections and reliefs, creating an almost lunar surface that is numbered and signed Breguet.
This new edition of the Breguet Classique Tourbillon 3358 comes with a sky-blue alligator strap with a triple-blade white gold folding clasp set with 42 diamonds. It retails for CHF 159,700 (incl. tax). More information at Breguet.com.
