On May 7, 2010, the reputable auction house of Patrizzi & Co organized an important event whose highlight was the most important horological document – 354 pages of Abraham Breguet’s notes. Five years before his death the legendary watchmaker began to set down his horological memoirs for posterity. He dictated all his horological experience, innovations and secrets to his assistant Louis Moinet. It was intended to be a book like no other that had ever been produced. Simply written, it offered in-depth explanations from which other watchmakers could learn and understand Breguet’s secrets, and from which they could incorporate his experiences and ideas into their own work. The recent discovery of this work completely changes our understanding of the history of horology and our attitudes to and knowledge of watchmaking.

The important lot was purchased by Dr Nicolas Hayek, president and CEO of Montres Breguet S.A., for the Breguet museum. Breguet’s notes fetched the record-breaking CHF 2.3 million.

During the bidding, this historic manuscript was offered provisionally as seven separate lots. The bidding was feverish and fierce and quickly arrived at more than four times the lot’s initial estimate. This phenomenon was repeated with each lot in the manuscript group, with several of the lots, in particular lots 315 and 316, which cover Breguet’s thoughts on the tourbillion and Marine chronometers respectively, achieving more than eight times their initial estimate.

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The exquisite Breguet Reine de Naples collection of watches has been replenished this year with a new amazing item. The release of the new watch marks the very important event in the brand’s history: 200 years ago Breguet created the first wristwatch for the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Queen of Naples – Carolina Murat.

The new timepiece with its elegant oval white gold aces, mother-of-pearl dial, finest diamonds and manually made engraving is a truly royal accessory. The transparent see-through back case shows the intricate figure of a dove which is formed owing to cobwebs of bridges, rotor and parts of the movement. This Breguet watch is especially notable for the repeater, whose hammers are located in the upper part of the dial between 11 and 1 o’clock. The dial with hours and minutes hands made of blued steel is placed at 6 o’clock.

The new Breguet timepiece is powered by an automatic movement calibre 78S0 with 54 jewels. Power reserve makes up 65 hours (without the work of the repeater) or 50 hours (with the work of the repeater). The movement animates the functions of hours, minutes and repeater.

The refined oval white gold case is framed by the bezel adorned with 30 diamonds. The watch is water resistant down to 30 meters.

The new Breguet watch is secured on the wrist with a crocodile leather strap fitted with a folding clasp made of white gold and inlayed with diamonds.

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The reputable watchmaking company Breguet has presented during the BaselWorld 2010 the new version of its impressive Marine Royale watch. For the first time the watch was presented in Basel a year ago – and now the legendary watchmaking brand unveils the new version in white gold.

The new Breguet timepiece is housed by a white gold case with silvery dial. The case measures 45 mm in diameter. Technically the watch has remained unchanged. It is powered with an automatic movement calibre 519R.12 animating the functions of hours, minutes, seconds and alarm-clock. The alarm can be clearly heard underwater. The alarm setting crown and on-off push-piece in gold are sheathed in rubber for easier handling. The movement guarantees power reserve for 45 hours. The new Breguet timepiece is 300 meters water resistant.

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The legendary watchmaking brand Breguet is proud to present its new watch – Tradition Fusee Tourbillon. The new timepiece is notable for the innovative silicon balance spring, whose regular oscillations give the movement its rhythm and regulate the flow of time.

Traditionally balance springs are made of metal. They are vulnerable to shocks, magnetic fields and even the pull of gravity, which can cause warping. The specialists from Breguet found the solution to this problem with the creation of a silicon balance spring. Silicon is totally impervious to magnetic fields. The manufacturing operations of a silicon balance spring yield a broad variety of shapes, facilitating the highly accurate adaptation of its shape to precisely calculated models. Silicon balance springs are lighter than metal ones and thus less prone to deformation caused by the pull of gravity. They are also less vulnerable to shocks and provide far superior resistance to corrosion.

The new Breguet timepiece is housed by a round case crafted from 950 platinum. The case measures 41 mm in diameter and features a sapphire case back. Rounded horns are welded to the case and the screw pins are securing the strap. The new watch is water resistant to 30 meters.

The dial of the new Breguet Tradition is crafted from silvered 18K gold. It is hand-engraved on a rose engine off-centred at 7 o’clock. The dial shows Roman numerals as well as a 60-second tourbillon placed at 1 o’clock. Open-tipped Breguet hands are made of polished steel.

The heart of the new Breguet watch is a hand-wound mechanical movement calibre 596 clad in an anthracite gray alloy of platinum-group metals. The movement is complicated with a tourbillon regulator. It provides power reserve for 50 hours. Torque regularity throughout the operation of the watch is provided by the fusee-and-chain transmission.

The new Breguet Tradition Fusee Tourbillon is a brilliant example of a classical complicated timepiece that can serve both as an elegant accessory and a precise time-measuring device.

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Until someone came up with the idea to create a battery for the movement many watchmakers tried to invent the movement for a wristwatch that would guarantee several days of power reserve. It should be said that appearance of battery didn’t eliminate this task. Although now it belongs to the sphere of the sophisticated: the watchmakers still wonder continue to find a new solution to combine mechanics with convenience.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Eight Days Perpetual SQ

This is a really unique model as it is not only a complete perpetual calendar with the moon phase indication – it boasts 8 days of power reserve! By the way for the perpetual calendar watches the problem of power reserve is especially acute: if the movement ceases to work and later manually corrected the complicated system of days, dates, months and years can fail to work properly.

In case when perpetual calendar module is integrated into an automatic calibre the watch should be kept in the auto-winding box. But Master watch features a manually-wound calibre and that’s why the owner can wind the watch only once a week. The necessity to restore the energy is indicated by the power reserve indicator placed on the left of 12 o’clock. On the right there is day and night indicator.

Ulysse Nardin Freak Blue Phantom

Some time ago Freak Blue Phantom watch has been among the most discussable timepieces: everyone admired the creative solution of designers from Ulysse Nardin for the dial, wheels and main plate of the movement.

But beautiful original design is not the only peculiarity of the timepiece. The Freak features 7-days power reserve. The legendary Ulysse Dual Escapement receives the impulse from the big spring whose barrel occupies practically all the space under the case back. The spring is wound by rotating the case back. The hands are adjusted with the help of the rant.

IWC Portuguese Tourbillon

For the watchmaker IWC power reserve of 7 days has become a traditional feature after the launch of the calibre 5000 for which a long and powerful spring was specially created.

In fact the watch can work for full 8 days, but the designers say that the spring inside the watch should not be unwound to extremes as it is not good for it. As such a spring occupies quite a lot space all the calibres from the 5000 series are made on the basis of movements for pocket watches. So in the Portuguese watch practically all the space inside a 44.2-mm case is occupied by the movement calibre 50900 comprising parts. The movement is additionally equipped with a tourbillon and a Pellaton auto-winding system.

It’s common knowledge that a tourbillon module consumes a lot of energy and that’s why creation of such a calibre that can work for a week is the sign of the highest class of the manufactory.

Officine Panerai Radiomir 10 Days GMT

As we all know Panerai was the first to come up with the idea to create a diver’s watch with 7-days power reserve. The first models made by Panerai during the World War II for the special military unit Gamma Force had a usual screw-in crown and due to this fact the system of water resistance was quite vulnerable.

Later the company designed a new system with a protection lever that in its turn has become a proprietary feature of the Radiomir series. Additionally the movement was equipped with two barrels that provide 8-days power reserve.

The modern version of the Radiomir watch with GMT indication based on the in-house calibre P.2003 is equipped with three barrels that guarantee stable work of the watch for 10 days. Thje watch is also equipped with a linear power reserve indicator.

Breguet Classique

Traditionally there are few multi-barrel timepieces in the collection of the most classical of all Swiss brands. But still the Breguet Classique series includes the model that in spite of quite thin proportions boasts a serious power reserve and date indication.

The timepiece features 3-days power reserve which is provided by a spring of the miniature Manufacture Breguet movement. The spring was specially designed and crafted from a patented alloy at Nivarox FAR.

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