On the heels of Watches and Wonders Geneva, Breguet has revealed the new Quantième Perpétuel 7327, marking the debut of a new perpetual calendar from the storied watchmaker. In a season dominated by chronographs — Breguet has its own something-something coming up — it is great to see a new execution of the most complex of all calendar mechanisms, the perpetual calendar. This writer is somewhat biased towards calendar complications, and to asymmetric dial layouts so the Breguet Quantième Perpétuel 7327 is a straight-up win. Collectors should note that reference 7327 is a replacement for reference 5327, the Classique perpetual calendar that was a mainstay of that collection. You can see from the layout of displays on the dial that there is a new calibre at work here.
We begin with the new automatic calibre 502.3.P, which delivers a highly unusual retrograde date display (between 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock on the dial); this is the most obvious sign that there is a new movement here, and is how we distinguished this model. Oddly, Breguet did not lead with this information in its publicity materials (we have not seen it in person), yet this is precisely what collectors should take note of. Basically, it makes reference 7327 an important milestone for Breguet. The hairspring and anchor are in silicon, which is par for the course at the manufacture, and the escapement beats at 3Hz.
Significantly, the calibre is just 4.5mm thick, allowing the case to come in at under 10mm — this is just right to fit under a sleeve. Breguet faithful will recognise calibre 502.3.P as an evolution of the ultra-thin calibre 502 (and thus another upgrade to the original Frederique Piguet calibre 70, as reported by Watches by SJX), and the brand says that the calendar mechanism was added as module. There are a total of 294 components in total. The modular construction is perhaps slightly disappointing for purists who insist on integrated calibres, but we think that reference 7327 should be judged on its overall merits (for the record, we would love to see how the 21st century Breguet manufacture would approach engineering a perpetual calendar from the ground up, particularly with regards to the 45-hour power reserve, which is well below contemporary expectations).
While we have not seen the watch in the metal, Breguet lists an impressive list of finishing arts here, including a circular barleycorn motif (rose-engine handworked) on the oscillating weight, Geneva stripes on the bridges, and chamfered edges on many components. A look at the real calibre will reveal a lot about the quality and nature of the finishing, but Breguet is certainly on par with other brands at the haute horlogerie level.
Turning to the case and dial, note the fluting on the case middle and the straight lugs, both of which are Breguet staples. The 39mm watch is available in white gold and rose gold, but the dial and hands remain the same in both. The hands are called “Breguet” because Abraham-Louis Breguet came up with the design, but the brand also prosaically refers to this style as “moon” tip hands. Overall, the 7327 is very fetching, including the update to the moon phase display (no more smiling anthropomorphised moon), and the balance of the information on the guilloche dial.
We have some questions about the fit here, given the style of lugs, and we will return to this story with updates once we see the watch. Having said that, if you are in the market for a distinctive perpetual calendar with a grand story, and have S$116,300 to spare (same price in either gold), the Quantième Perpétuel 7327 might be it.
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