Breguet Releases Classique 5177 and 7787 Variants, Offering a Symphony of Platinum and Grand Feu Enamel

Abraham-Louis Breguet's watchmaking philosophy is perfectly encapsulated in the Breguet Classique collection. To be sure, the Classique models feature Breguet's unmistakable characteristics and are distinguished by their refined lines. Carrying forward the Classique lineage, the luxury watch brand has now added two platinum models with black Grand Feu enamel dials to the lineup. The two contenders for this black-tie transformation are Classique 5177 and Classique 7787, marking platinum's debut in the collection.

A night-black watch face that shines under Grand Feu enamel is, for the first time in this series, enclosed in a platinum sheath. Careful artistry is needed for this ornamental approach, which involves applying a powder created from a variety of minerals and metal oxides for colour, amalgamating it with a binder and then vitrifying it at a high temperature (between 800 and 1200°C) to the dial foundation. It can be erratic, unpredictable, and uncontrollable, much like a flame. Depending on the amount of coats, multiple firings in a specialised oven are actually required to fuse the pigments and components, create depth, and achieve that unchangeable sheen — each firing carries a risk.

Classique 5177

This 38 mm platinum watch gets platinum welded lugs, a knurled crown at 3 o’clock with a fluted caseband, and a slim bezel. The dial, looking resplendent in black Grand Feu enamel, has hour markers with Arabic numerals and silvered powdered timer, rhodium-plated ‘moon’ tip Breguet hour, minute, and second hands, a tone-on-tone date window at 3 o’clock with a silvered-on-black background, and a secret signature at 6 o’clock. 

This timepiece is powered by the self-winding Calibre 777 Q movement with a 55-hour power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the sapphire caseback with an 18 ct rhodium-plated gold oscillating weight, a special ‘starry mosaic’ guilloché motif, and an inscription reading ‘BREGUET EDITION SPECIALE’. Furthermore, this single barrel movement has a silicon flat balance spring, an inverted lever with silicon lugs, and a silicon escapement. The timepiece is finished on a black alligator leather strap with a satin-look platinum pin buckle.

Classique 7787

The layout of the more intricate Classique 7787 Moonphase variant is inspired by Abraham-Louis Breguet's iconic No.5 pocket watch from 1793, which boasts 'balanced asymmetry'. This 39 mm platinum-cased watch gets a fluted caseband, a 2-position crown at 3 o’clock, a pusher at 9 o'clock for setting the moonphases, a rhodium-plated metal corrector stylus, and welded fasteners. 

The moonphase complication is exhibited in a semi-circle at 12 o’clock with a 0-29 ½ track and a hammered gold moon, surrounded by polished rhodium gold stars on a blue lacquered disc and a cycle scale. The lower half of the dial features an off-centred power reserve indicator, designed like a downward fan with a 0-38 arc, as well as powdered silver indications and inscriptions. The power reserve hand extends from 3 o’clock to 5:30. The Grand Feu enamel dial reveals Breguet's secret signature to the right of the centre for the 7787 reference. This model has the cut-out window showing the phases of the Earth's natural satellite. 

The night star, embodied by a hammered gold disc, appears against a starry blue sky, delivering its moods on a graduated scale over 29.5 days. The watch is powered by Calibre 591 DRL, delivering 38 hours of power reserve once wound by its rhodium-plated 22 ct gold rotor, adorned with hand-made ‘barley grain’ guilloché. The addition of a pinion on the moon-phase disc enables it to offer a realistic display of the cycle, i.e. 29.5303498 days instead of the 29.5 days generally offered by this type of complication, and therefore, it’s closer to the 29.53058888 days of the actual lunar revolution. The difference is thus limited to one day after 348.7 years. This watch is finished on a black alligator leather strap with a satin-look platinum triple-blade folding clasp.