tiny confines of the timepiece. If anyone can defy the laws of physics, it will be the talented watchmakers at the Breguet Manufacture.
The entire exposed mechanism pivots on its axis at the rate of one full turn every 12 hours. It is propelled by two independent tourbillons, each completing a full rotation per minute. This means that the interconnect- ed regulating organs perform a double revolution, simultaneously driving the tourbillon bar: the signature hours hand.
In this you will witness a fascinating display of a number of components made of gold, a hark back to the glory days when the material was used in the manufacture of timepieces. This tradition is now revived in Classique Double Tourbillon Quai de l’Horloge.
This magnificent timepiece is nothing short of stunning as it stands as a testament to Breguet’s expert craftsmanship — in particular, the engraving on the back, which depicts the
house that Abraham-Louis Breguet acquired on Quai de l’Horloge in Par- is. Each component is hand-finished, while the back of the movement is engraved with the “House on the Quai”, the Parisian building where Abraham-Louis Breguet fulfilled his life’s work. It is the place where the master watchmaker invented the tourbillon that would eventually be revered for centuries.
Inventing the tourbillon was a daring move at a time when timepieces were worn vertically in the waistcoat pocket. However, Breguet found a way of negating the effects of Earth’s gravity, which affected the chronometric accuracy of the movement.
Then the idea came to founder Abraham-Louis Breguet to incorporate the balance wheel and spring as well as the escapement (lever and escape wheel) in a mobile carriage rotating on itself. The name tourbillon was born to explain the double rotation of the cage and its parts, in reference to the long-forgotten notion of a planetary system. Genius in principle and captivating in operation, the invention remains the preserve of the House of Breguet, conferring a truly special originality
On the reverse side of the movement, an engraving carried out by hand depicts the building on Quai de l’Horloge in Paris
Working with very limited space, the Breguet Manufacture has built a complex and harmonious universe that seemingly defies the laws of physics
TechSpecs
Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon 5345 Quai de l’Horloge Ref: 5345PT/1S/7XU
Round platinum case with finely fluted caseband. Sapphire-crystal caseback. Sapphire glass box of high transparency. Diameter: 46 mm. Thickness: 16.8 mm. Rounded welded lugs with screw bars.
Sapphire dial. Individually numbered and signed Breguet. Hours chapter with Roman numerals. Open-tipped Breguet minutes hand in blued steel. Blued-steel hours hand extending along the bar supporting the two tourbillons.
Manually wound mechanical movement. Cal. 588N, numbered and signed Breguet. Two tourbillons mounted on a revolving main plate hand-engraved on a rose engine. The two regulating organs are coupled to a differential that determines the average rate.
Complete revolution of the main plate in 12 hours. 50-hour power reserve. 161⁄2 lignes. 81 jewels. 738 components. Breguet balance springs. Frequency 2.5hertz. Monometallic balance wheels with gold screws. Adjusted in 6 positions. On the reverse side of the movement, an engraving carried out by hand depicts the building on Quai de l’Horloge in Paris.
“Stone” strap, natural slate on rubber. Triple folding clasp in platinum.
