In 2020 Breguet launched their open-worked Classique Double Tourbillon Quai De l’Horloge 5345. Named for the street in Paris on which Breguet’s original workshop was situated, it was a platinum watch with a double tourbillon with both wheel trains and tourbillons mounted on a rotating plate that completed a single revolution every twelve hours.
Now, they have introduced a new 18kt rose gold variant that has hand guilloché on the rotating plate, and freehand engraving on the bridge plate. It comes in a 46mm sized case (16.8mm thick) with a box crystal.
The sapphire disc’s chapter ring is engraved with Roman numerals which are, alongside the minutes markers, filled with varnish. The blued steel hours hand serves as the upper bridge of one of the two independent 60-second tourbillons, while its extension is used for the second tourbillon. As mentioned, the bar of these two tourbillons is attached to a central mainplate rotating every twelve hours.
Each tourbillon has its own gear train powered by its own barrel and are connected to a central differential regulating the rate of the watch and, via a third gear train, driving the rotation of the entire mechanism.
Powering this is the manually-wound 588N2 which beats at 21,600 VPH and has a power reserve of 60 hours.
The planetary differential forms part of the hand-winding mechanism and is designed to distribute power equally to the two barrel ratchets when the watch is wound. It regulates the rotational speeds of the barrels based on the mean speed of the two regulating systems and transmits this output directly to the time display. If one barrel tries to unwind faster, the differential adjusts by transferring torque, which balances the energy levels between the barrels. This is to reduce stress on components, improve transmission efficiency and ensure a stable flow of power to the escapement. The time-setting train at the back of the watch, partially visible beneath the island bridges.
The rotating plate is made of rose gold and is decorated with a ‘wave’ like flinqué guilloché pattern. The fixed main plate is rhodium-plated gold and has also been engine-turned with the same pattern. The mainspring barrels are open-worked and supported by finished gold bridges that form the shape of a Breguet ‘B’.
The wheel trains are laid on the rotating plate around the snailed differential bridge. A pair of intermediate winding wheels are held in place by open-worked bridges. The steel tourbillon bridge and cages are black-polished with bevelled edges and bowl-shaped countersinks for the pivot jewels.
This movement is in large part also about the decoration. The bridge plate and island bridges are rather splendidly hand-engraved in relief with an overhead street scene of Breguet’s workshop at 39 Quai de l’Horloge as it would have been at the time. The grey components are created using a combination of black and white rhodium plating.
Coming on a dark blue rubber strap with an 18kt rose gold buckle, the t Classique Double Tourbillon Quai de l’Horloge 5345 Rose Gold is a limited production piece, with an RRP of EUR 808,500.
[Photo credit: Breguet]
Categories: Breguet, Watch Profile, watches
HOROLOGIUM 
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