The emblematic piece of Breguet’s Classicque Collection, the Reference 7337 gets a facelift refresh. Now in white and rose gold.
Press Release details with commentary in italics.
New: Breguet Classique Calendar 7337
The new Breguet Classique Calendar 7337 retails for SGD 61,800 inclusive of GST for either the white gold or rose gold versions.
Commentary
The Breguet Classic Calendar is one of the brand’s signature watches and have been in catalogue since the 1990s. The Reference was the 3337, which was an adaptation of the idea of first shown in Breguet no. 3833 . A pocket watch with the same, now familiar layout, which was sold to M. Thomas Hawley on May 12, 1823 for 5,000 francs. Breguet no. 3833 was also a quarter repeater, with a calendar complication and an indication of the age and phase of the moon. In 1990, Breguet introduced the 3337, with a dial layout inspired by No 3883, but released only with a calendar complication in a wrist watch with a case diameter of 35mm. The movement powering it was the Caliber 502, which is still in use today, though the new movement is now Cal 502.3 and carries a silicon escapement.
The model received an reinterpretation in 2009 as the 7337, now cased in 39mm, but still with the Caliber 502. And Breguet added a subsidiary seconds sub-dial nestled within the main dial. This layout is retained to this day.
A version of of the 7337 was released in 2020, with a new interpretation of the moon – perhaps a more literal looking moon than the artistic one with a smiling face in earlier models. The moon is a solid gold disc which is hand hammered to create the dimpled finish for a more photo realistic moon. And for this it receives a subtle facelift. The Breguet documentation describes this as “a more modern style while retaining the strong codes that have forged the brand’s history”.
And we tend to agree. At a quick glance, the new 7337 looks almost the same as the 2020 release, with the exception of details like the apertures for the day and date now have a more sleek opening with straight sides while the older versions feature a petal shaped aperture. The day and date are now in a blue disc with white print. The brand name and serial number is now indicated in two rectangular cartouches. Both apertures are beautifully chamfered. The guilloché pattern on the dial now sports a different design, and the Roman numerals for the hour markers are slightly thinner, giving a more elegant presentation. The keen eyed will also note that the cursive engine turning on the semi-circular aperture on the bottom of the moonphase display is now replaced with a plain, undecorated, but chamfered piece.
The movement remains the same Caliber 502, and no change for this very thin (2.4mm thick) movement which is quite robust despite its slenderness. The movement uses a silicon escapement system.
Release details
The importance of details
This elegant, subtle and pure new interpretation by Breguet is resolutely contemporary without compromising its aesthetic origins. The brand’s various decorative skills are indeed present throughout the watch. Its off-centred dial is adorned with a very fine Clous de Paris hobnail guilloché pattern hand-engraved on a rose engine by the in-house artisans. The outer dial features a circular barleycorn motif. The moon phase at 12 o’clock is designed to provide powerful realism. The gold moon is hand-hammered and the clouds surrounding it have been given a fine sandblasted treatment with a matt texture. Its sky is coated with a blue lacquer composed of spangles subtly revealing the stars depending on the angle from which the timepiece is viewed. The hours, minutes and seconds are indicated by the traditional blued steel open-tipped Breguet hands. The date and day are respectively placed at 2 and 10 o’clock. The windows feature a broad aperture for enhanced readability.
The movement
At the heart of its 39 mm white or rose case beats Calibre 502, which is one of Breguet’s thinnest movements at just 2.4 mm thick. Its design was conceived to provide a high level of performance despite its slenderness. Its barrel is open in order to enhance this slim aesthetic while guaranteeing constant energy and performance. Its oscillating weight is off-centred to provide maximum space for the main movement elements and is thus integrated within a minimum thickness. This rhodium- plated self-winding movement consists of 236 components. It is equipped with a silicon balance- spring as well as an escapement featuring an inverted straight-line pallet-lever with silicon horns. Silicon boasts multiple properties. In addition to being resistant to corrosion and wear, it is insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields and improves the precision of the timepiece. This movement that can be admired through the sapphire caseback highlights a skill dear to Breguet: decoration. While the white gold oscillating weight is hand-engraved on a rose engine with a circular barleycorn pattern, the other components are graced with chamfered finishes and a Côtes de Genève motif. Finally, the balance of the new Classique Calendar 7337 oscillates at a frequency of 3 Hz and has a 45-hour power reserve.
The Classique collection
Featuring a design representing a blend of purity and refinement, the Classique collection faithfully illustrates the strong aesthetic of the brand’s origins. Above and beyond his talent as a watchmaker and inventor, Abraham-Louis Breguet was also one of the first designers. When the company was founded in Paris in 1775, baroque style was all the rage. He invented and initiated the neoclassical style in watchmaking – an aesthetic vision that gave the dials an avant-garde look while making it easier to read the watch’s indications. He created open-tipped hands, the guilloché pattern and the off-centred dial, to name but a few of these novel stylistic features. The latter achievement appeared as of 1812 on pocket watches and established the brand’s DNA. Inspired by these creations, the first interpretation of the Classique 7337 wristwatch was introduced in 2009. The 2022 version is a contemporary and elegant incarnation of the original watch, while remaining faithful to the powerful signatures of the Classique line.
Available in 18K white or rose gold, this new timepiece is fitted with a strap in midnight blue for the white gold model and a mysterious brown for the rose gold version.
Breguet Classique Calendar 7337 technical specifications
Case: 18K white gold or rose gold Diameter: 39 mm
Thickness: 9.95 mm
Dial: in gold, hand-engraved on a rose engine Movement: Self-winding
Functions: Moon phase, day, date, off-centred chapter ring, small seconds Balance-spring: flat, in silicon
Escapement: inverted straight-line lever
Water resistance: 3 bar (30 m)
Calibre: 502.3 QSE1 Frequency: 3 Hz Power reserve: 45 hours Components: 236
Strap: midnight blue alligator leather strap for the white gold version, mysterious brown alligator leather for the rose gold model
