Breguet

Tradition watches use the movement layout of Breguet’s early pocket watches and leave it open on the dial side. A curved date hand rises over the movement to a scale at the top and jumps back to 1 after the 31st. Note the unique sculpted rotor on the back.

The Marine 5887 has a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar. A second minute hand, tipped with a small gold sun, shows solar time beside clock time. This limited edition has a platinum bracelet and a Grand Feu enamel dial painted by hand with a night sky, which Breguet can match to a date and place the buyer chooses. This one has a blued rim rotor winding the spring automatically in the back.

Breguet also makes the 5887 on a strap, with a blue dial, for about $160,000 less. Note the elegant and minimal rim rotor on the back face to keep it wound.

Breguet modeled this watch on its No. 5 pocket watch of 1794. Like the original, it shows a moon phase and the power reserve beside two central hands and small seconds. The case is Breguet gold, the house’s own alloy, and the dial is guilloché by hand. On the back, check out the openwork rotor shaped like a cursive B.

This Classique shows the date and the power reserve, and it adds a moon phase. The silver dial is guilloché by hand.

This white gold chronograph has a barrel-shaped case. Several guilloché patterns separate the parts of its silver dial, and blued steel hands stand out against them.

This Classique pairs a tourbillon at 6 o’clock with a perpetual calendar, which needs no correction for short months or leap years. A retrograde hand at 12 shows the date, and small dials at 9 and 3 show the day and month.

A sapphire dial lets you see the whole skeletonized movement, with the tourbillon at 6 o’clock and blued Breguet hands above it. This is a watch you'll get used to looking at - after a few years.

A plate with two tourbillons turns once every 12 hours, and the bridge joining them serves as the hour hand. A feat of watchmaking bravado.

Breguet builds this automatic tourbillon only 7.5mm thick, thin enough to wear under a shirt cuff. The dial is white Grand Feu enamel with Breguet numerals and blued hands. To keep it this thin and still self-winding, Breguet put the rotor around the edge of the movement. Look closely along the edge of the back and you’ll see it.

This version has a blue Grand Feu enamel dial and the hidden rim rotor in the back.

Breguet took the same thin automatic tourbillon and cut away about half its metal so you can see through it, then engraved and finished it by hand. The case is rose gold, 7.7mm thick. Note the rim rotor in the back.