Breguet unveiled the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035, a limited edition in Breguet gold with blue dial. Ref. 7035BH/H2/9V6 has a price of €51,200
Breguet has introduced the new Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035, a special edition distinguished by its guilloché dial in translucent blue Grand Feu enamel and the use of Breguet gold, an exclusive alloy created for the brand’s 250th anniversary and also featured in the recently presented Classique Souscription 2025.
Among the many innovations Breguet has brought to watchmaking is the concept of displaying the movement prominently on the dial side, a feature that continues with the Tradition collection in its modern interpretation.
The line is defined by its distinctive architectural structure, revealing the bridges, gears and mechanisms. Inspired by the work of A.-L. Breguet, the recognisable layout offers the same clear view of the movement that a watchmaker sees when working on a timepiece.
The Tradition collection incorporates, for the first time, two proprietary colour codes: Breguet blue and 18k Breguet gold, a warm, blond precious metal composed of gold (75%), silver, copper, and palladium.
The 38 mm × 12.6 mm fluted case of the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 is crafted from this new alloy. Water resistance is ensured up to 3 bar (30 metres / 100 feet).
Protected by a domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating, the silver-coloured gears, blued screws, and ruby-red jewels provide contrast and further enhance the radiance of Breguet gold.
The bridges of this anniversary model feature, for the first time in the Tradition collection, a silky, hand-applied satin finish on their upper surfaces. A specially developed plating treatment ensures that the mainplate and bridges have the same hue as the case.
The focal point of this model is its finely engine-turned dial in Breguet blue, featuring the new Quai de l’Horloge motif. The translucent Grand Feu enamel in the same deep blue matches the retrograde seconds hand and blued steel screws.
In contrast, silver Breguet numerals, a minute track with stylised fleurs-de-lis, and a unique serial number at 4 o’clock stand out clearly against the enamel surface.
Guilloché, a technique once mainly used on watch cases, was first applied to dials by A.-L. Breguet to distinguish different display areas. It remains a key element of the brand’s identity.
Breguet holds the largest collection of working guilloché lathes in the world. These restored period machines can produce both traditional patterns, such as Clou de Paris, and contemporary ones like the Quai de l’Horloge design used here.
This motif is inspired by the curves of the Seine as it surrounds the Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis, close to where A.-L. Breguet once had his workshop. Its precise lines are based on the 18th-century Turgot map, a detailed perspective of Paris showing every street, building, and even tree in the city centre.
The back of the new Tradition 7035 reveals the oscillating weight spinning above the bridges’ satin-finished surfaces, which provide an elegant contrast to the shot-blasted mainplate below.
The crescent moon-shaped weight, made of vertical brushed platinum, is reminiscent of those used in A.-L. Breguet’s time. He pioneered the use of platinum in watchmaking, using it to optimise the automatic winding of what he referred to as his “perpétuelle” watches, one of the first innovations from this master watchmaker.
The self-winding Calibre 505sr beats at the frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) with a power reserve of 50 hours. For enhanced accuracy and reliability, the balance spring and the horns of the inverted in-line lever escapement are made in silicon.
Paired with a navy blue alligator leather strap secured by an 18k Breguet gold pin buckle, and presented in a special edition red leather case inspired by Breguet’s Moroccan leather cases of the period, the individually numbered Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6 is a 250-piece limited edition priced at €51,200. breguet.com
Suggested reading:
COMMENTS