Of the thousands of watches shown at Baselworld, literally nothing looks quite like a Breguet. That is especially so when it comes to the brand’s visually distinct Classique collection which marries the technical complexity of Breguet’s modern movement capability with incredibly ornate, hand-engraved motifs inspired by many of the decorative codes that were once used in the earliest days of watchmaking. Two new models have just joined the Breguet Numeral Watch Classique stable: the three-hand Breguet Classique 7147, and a refresh to the award-winning, time zone-jumping Breguet Classique Hora Mundi 5727.

Now, if you’re just looking to dip a toe into the world of Breguet’s exceptional hand-finishing, the Breguet Classique 7147 might be the best place to start, as it uses many of the same impressive signatures as others in the collection, at a more attainable price. Here, you’ll find the textured “Clous De Paris” or hobnail finishing throughout the center dial, and a cross-woven small seconds subdial at 5:00 – both of which neatly contrast the beautiful heat-blued pomme hands which, nowadays, are more collectively referred to as “Breguet hands” due to their invention by Abraham-Louis Breguet in the late 1700s.

Beneath the dial, the Breguet Classique 7147 is no slouch either – powered by Breguet’s in-house-developed Cal. 502.3SD – an extra-thin 2.4mm movement which carries a number of modern flourishes like a silicon balance spring and lever escapement with silicon pallets. This movement has an operating frequency of 3Hz and affords a power reserve of 45 hours.

Available in both rose gold or white gold, the 40mm case itself also carries some very nice detailing, like fluting in the caseband and vintage-inspired, welded lugs with screwed bars which complete the look. Granted, 40mm is arguably quite large for a watch of this design intent, but it also reflects a commitment of sorts – like the movement within the watch – to not only honor the past, but to embrace the future of watchmaking as well.

The reason most observe instances are around is because designers have the easiest time making round-cased watches seem nice. Therefore, making a non-round case such as a thing square, rectangular, otherwise geometric, or tonneau (barrel-shaped) is a unique challenge. The risk is that despite best efforts these non-round cases will not seem attractive… but the reward of getting it right is really a distinctive wrist-wearing experience that has the potential to be a long-term classic.The Breguet Heritage 5410, that comes with a tonneau-shaped situation along with distinctive Breguet elements is a very well made bundle. Tonneau watches have been around for nearly 100 years, but have recently become popular thanks to two exceptionally different brands: Franck Muller and Richard Mille. Each of those two businesses offers different executions of the exact same theme – but it is done right in the two cases. These are actually the exclusion of the standard as, in my estimation, many other tonneau-shaped watches out there aren’t a perfect hit. The Breguet Heritage 5410, however, is one of the rare tonneau watches I really like to wear.I’ve not spend enough time together with tonneau watches to really clarify the science of what makes a perfect form and wearing experience. To say it’s all about proportions is too straightforward. In this instance, I feel that the comparatively flat top and bottom, rather traditional and stubby lugs, tall and flat sides with coined edges, along with the really round dial are exactly what make this view work.The Breguet Heritage 5410 is produced in either an 18k rose gold and 18k white gold case. For my hands on demonstration I am wearing the 18k white gold version. The case dimensions really appear modest, but as you can see, it does not wear that given the case thickness. The Breguet Heritage 5410 is 35mm wide, 42mm tall drag to lug, and 12.9mm thick. This watch might look a little on the small side for very large wrists, but for a small to medium wrist like mine, it looks quite nice.

However, the real star of the 2016 Breguet Classique additions would have to be the Breguet Classique Hora Mundi 5727 – successor to 2011’s award-winning Breguet Hora Mundi that took home a truckload of top prizes for its impressive technical achievement. The Breguet Classique Hora Mundi was, and still is, unique in that it was the first mechanical watch with an instant-jump time zone display that synchronized all the other indicators on the dial – including the date, 24-hour indicator, and city indications, all at the push of a button at the 8:00 position on the 43mm white gold case.

This time around, though, the Breguet Classique Hora Mundi 5727 forgoes the North America map motif on the dial in favor of much of the same case detailing and white gold dial finishing on the Breguet Classique 7147 – ultra-classic design language that many fans could probably agree feels yet more Breguet, if that were even possible. Obviously, the biggest differences with this watch lie in its Cal. 77F0 movement, which enables the wearer to simultaneously “jump” four different functions at once, ensuring a perfect synch between home time and another time zone anywhere in the world. The Cal. 77F0 operates at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 55 hours.

The more affordable Breguet Watches Price In India Classique 7147 has a price of $21,000 in rose gold and $21,500 in white gold. The Breguet Classique Hora Mundi 5727 is $68,600 in rose gold and $69,100 in white gold. breguet.com