BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Well, folks, we’re back in action. I hope you had a nice time enjoying the New Year festivities; it’s been truly great to interact with so many of you in the comments section of our two most recent articles. Thank you for all your kind words and support!
One discussion I remember reading was about the amount of watches that came out for Chinese New Year in 2024; last year was the Year of the Dragon, and luxury watchmakers of all kinds took their turns releasing watches centralised around that theme. This coming year will be the Year of the Snake, which is probably less marketable than the Dragon but will undoubtedly see some new releases. The first of which we’re looking at today: it’s Breguet’s new Classique 7145 Lunar New Year piece.
Measuring 40mm x 6.5mm the case of the new watch is very restrained. Its 18k rose gold form features Breguet’s hallmark coin edging (or fluting as it’s sometimes known) and long, slender welded lugs. As this is a dress watch, water resistance is at a mere 30m meaning it’s enough to survive being splashed as when washing your hands, for example.
The case protects the selfwinding calibre 502.3 which at just 2.6mm thick is one of the thinnest calibres they make. It features a 3Hz beat rate and a 45-hour power reserve with a solid gold off-centred winding rotor, which has been decorated with guilloché, which is Breguet’s signature decorating technique.
Decorating techniques are what this watch is all about, as displayed by the exquisite dial. It features guilloché engraving, polishing and painting all done by hand in Breguet’s manufacture and it very elegantly shows the snake coiled amongst leaves or other foliage. Sometimes, we get comments from readers asking why luxury watches are so expensive; by remembering that all of this has been done by hand by trained artisans who also need to make a living, it’s easier to see where the money goes in this case.
With that said, this is still an expensive watch with its price tag of CHF69,000. Breguet is also only making eight of these. That high price shouldn’t diminish what is otherwise a brilliant piece of art, one that can be taken places and will get memories with its owner as it goes along. Unless it’s thrown in a safe, that is a true crime.
