What has made brands such as Patek Philippe, Rolex and Omega great in the world of vintage is the intense study by collectors of history, references, caliber changes and all those minutiae that make a model more or less collectible compared to another.

This is because when you have real encyclopedias to study, it is easier to make a purchase. Or more simply, the more literature there is available, the more likely people will be to make use of it. In the case of Breguet, we unfortunately have little focus on the golden years of the brand’s relaunch, when in the 1970s the owners chose a new artistic direction.

The relaunch of the Breguet brand with Daniel Roth

1970: the brothers Jaques and Pierre Chaumet take over a brand in total decline, which however sits on a gold mine. When the company was taken over, Breguet only produced some military models assigned to the French Air Force or Navy (obviously we are talking about the very famous Type 20).

The three main figures to guide the rebirth of Breguet were those of François Bodet, who was general manager from 1972 to 1987, that of Daniel Roth as creative director and watchmaker (it was Bodet himself who convinced the Chaumet brothers to hire him), together with that by Louis-Maurice Caillet, who teamed up with the latter on a technical level.

Before starting this journey, Roth had capitalized on his experience in brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet, after having experienced watchmaking since his childhood. However, before starting to design the new watches, I spent more than a year intensely studying the archives of Abraham-Louis Breguet, the master to whom he would be heir.

During that year he was fascinated by various pocket watches, which would later be the inspiration for newly manufactured wristwatches. However, it was not simply a question of converting a large watch into a wristwatch, it was necessary to faithfully enclose the master’s philosophy in cases, dials and movements that would describe Breguet’s works in detail.

The most collectible watches by Breguet for the “Classique” collection

With this article we try to summarize some of the most historic and important vintage Breguet references, to tell their inspiration, technique and why we think they will become true treasures for collectors. If we had to make a list there would be these Classiques, which share the use of Lemania or Frederique Piguet bases for their mechanisms.

The result was several watches that embody that philosophy: we have a non-slip coin case (exactly like the pocket watches), the lugs straight and welded to the case, the handmade guilloche dial, with different types of finishes, the serial number on the dial and many other details.

Reference 3130: Power Reserve, Date and Moon Phase

The master’s study led to the creation of two main watches, inspired by pocket timepieces such as the Breguet N°5. Presented in 1983, reference 3130 is inspired precisely by this but with some twists: it shows us the indication of the moon phases between 1 and 2 o’clock, day of the month (instead of the small seconds) at 6 o’clock and power reserve between 10 and 11 o’clock.

This layout is a true milestone for the brand, which will serve as the basis for the production of several other watches, with different complications (e.g. 3310) and from more recent eras (the new 2023 perpetual calendar). In the Breguet 3130 we have a truly exceptional dial, with a hand-made guillochage, which offers different textures for each indication present.

What is not applied in the wrist model, compared to the pocket one, is the knock repetition, which compared to a traditional repetition, which uses gongs, uses the watch case directly.

Reference 3330: Day, Date and Moon Phase

The second watch inspired by pocket models is the reference 3330, nicknamed “Chinoise” by collectors.

The Breguet 4579 was not a simple watch at all: first of all it was a “montre a tact”, which as we told you in our YouTube video, was an invention of the master to allow reading time without taking the watch out of your pocket. We then have various indications on the dial, which we also find in 3330, i.e. day of the week at 10 o’clock, moon phases at 12, date from 2 and finally hours and minutes below. Additionally, the 4579 had the power reserve at 3 o’clock, maintaining a hyper-symmetrical layout with the writing “Breguet” at 9.

The 3330 is one of the most fascinating watches on an aesthetic level, due to this clean layout, the finishes and the overall aesthetic that the brand had at the time. At 36mm in diameter, you can’t ask for anything better.

Reference 3230: Manual Winding Chronograph

The 3230 chronograph is one of the most historic and important. It was introduced a few years after the first models. Inside we have the Lemania 2310 base, which was the same used on nothing less than the Patek 5070 or on the incredible Hommage by Roger Dubuis. Breguet purchased this manufacture (Nouvelle Lemania) in 1992, which allowed him to increase production.

In the case of this complication, the best-known reference is the 3237 and we will explain why. Initially all models were produced with a closed case back. When it was decided to create and display the calibres, it was decided to change the reference to the final 7. Few examples of the 3230 are known, but the most fascinating remains the 3237, with this visible mechanism that allows it to be admired in any light.

The reference 3050: Perpetual Calendar with Moon Phases

The perpetual calendar is a great creation of those years. It was created in 1976, a time when watches with this complication were more than rare. François Bodet himself tells in his book that a dozen were produced per year, considering all the watchmaking brands. Putting the pieces together, we realize that the quartz crisis had made mechanical watchmaking something truly rare.

As told by François Bodet in “Breguet – Story of a Passion”, at the beginning around 2-3 perpetual calendars were produced per year, this is because the only watchmakers who worked on them were Roth and Caillet, and they were entirely handmade.

The 3050 perpetual calendar is one of the most underrated references of all, along with the others.

The reference 3350: Tourbillon

We conclude with one of the most iconic creations. As we often hear from some collectors, there should be no more important Tourbillon than the Breguet 3350, presented for the first time in Basel in 1990, after it was patented by the master watchmaker way back in 1801. As told by several collectors and in various forums, it is thought that towards the end of the 80s there were no more than a few hundred Tourbillon wristwatches.

In this case, Roth introduces a very scenic feature in the 3350, which he will then also adapt to his own watches. The Tourbillon, making a complete rotation every 60 seconds, allows the indication of the seconds, hence the choice to place a 20-second plate and a triple hand above the cage. How does it work? Simply when the cage rotates, each hand indicates the passage of 20 seconds 3 times (20+20+20=60).

Daniel Roth oversaw the development of this mechanism for a long time with Nouvelle Lemania. When it launched its own brand in 1988, it was a Tourbillon, with the same characteristics, that led the way.

Conclusions

Without Breguet, watchmaking would not exist… or at least it would be very different from what we know today. These represent some of Breguet’s most important “vintage” or “neo-vintage” watches.

The most collectible models remain those from years prior to around 1993 and equipped with cabochons on the crown, where the very first series (pre-1987) are among those that are the hardest to be found. All these references have counterparts with the final 7, to indicate the open case back and/or the finished mechanism (e.g. 3137, 3337, 3057, etc.), but are generally after around 1990.

In terms of metals, it can be said that most were produced in yellow gold and a small part in pink, white and platinum gold (never in steel).

This is not a definitive or complete guide, but it represents a first summary of what were the golden years of this brand. What do you think of Breguet? What is your favorite reference?

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Part of this article was written through the reading of Daniel Roth’s story told by Denny Grigolo on Orologi Di Classe.