The Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Anniversaire 5365 honours the 220th anniversary of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s invention of the tourbillon. This particular watch is designed with that anniversary in mind, but it will still remind you of reference 5367.
As we have written earlier this year, the contemporary Breguet firm is marking 2021 with a celebration of its founder’s most famous invention. Arguably it is not his most popular influential or important contribution to the pursuit of excellence in chronometric but the tourbillon has become a symbol for the perfect timekeeper that Abraham-Louis strived to achieve.
In a nutshell, this is a time-only watch, with seconds indicated via the cage of the 60-second tourbillon between 4 and 6 o’clock. This basic execution reflects an important segment within Breguet’s contemporary range, and the brand has selected it for a couple of special touches reflected in reference 5365. The idea is to add a sense of occasion to the tourbillon which already occupies a strong position here, thus making this limited edition of 35 pieces in rose gold that much more exciting.
First, note the special engraving above the tourbillon aperture near the axis of the hour and minute hands. This is the patent number for the tourbillon, awarded to Abraham-Louis in 1801. Second, take a closer look at the tourbillon bridge. If your first thought was that this must be blued steel, you would be right; the bridge is straight-grained and bevelled before being subjected to a heat treatment that turns it blue. This is the first time Breguet has used such a bridge, making the 35 pieces of reference 5365 very special. About that number, Breguet tells us that only that number of watches with tourbillon were made in Abraham-Louis’ time, from his own workshops in Paris.
For those in a hurry, reference 5365 will be quite familiar to all who know reference 5367, including how it wears. Then again, this is not a watch for people in a hurry, but we digress. The watch is quite thin at 7.08mm but wears quite prominently thanks to its 41mm diameter being enhanced by a slim bezel.
The effect of the central Clous de Paris decoration distinguishes the watch, and gives a certain volume to the aesthetics. Unsurprisingly, the decoration is done by hand, with a diamond chisel carving out a pattern of interlacing crossed lines with a pitch of 0.25mm.
If you are lucky enough to be looking at the time on this watch as it sits on your wrist, the manufacture says the visual effect of the Clous de Paris here provides the “illusion of a matte finish.” This kind of guillochage is yet another Abraham-Louis signature, just like the Breguet hands here, and the ever-so-slightly off-kilter display of time.
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