Classique 5175, “Ginza Anniversary” Special Edition
CASE : 18K white gold, fluted case middle, sapphire back, water-resistant to 30m
SIZE : 38mm
MOVEMENT : mechanical self-winding, Caliber 777J, 28,800 vph, silicon escapement and balance spring, 55h power reserve
FUNCTIONS : hours, minutes, seconds
DIAL : Grand Feu blue enamel, platinum-colored Breguet Arabic numerals, rhodium-plated open-tipped Breguet hands
STRAP : alligator strap, gold pin buckle
Experienced fans of watchmaking and of Breguet in particular will doubtless detect a familiarity in this new timepiece, as well as a surprising singularity. This Classique is in fact a variation on the Reference 5177BB/29/9V6, also in white gold, but with a sizeable difference : blue Grand Feu enamel is a first in this collection of refined models normally featuring white enamel or guilloché dials. Another difference lies in the absence of a date at 3 o’clock. The result is a watch whose simplicity endows it with a beauty matching the tastes of the Japanese market. It was with the latter in mind and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Breguet boutique in Ginza – the chic Tokyo shopping district where the Nicolas G. Hayek Center houses several Swatch Group boutiques – that this timepiece was created. A fluted case, welded lugs, Breguet numerals, open-tipped hands, a minute circle alternating tiny stars and symbols (picked up from historical Breguet pocket watches), a unique number, and a secret signature in the form of an almost invisible diaphanous engraving above 6 o’clock : such are the distinctive features of the over two-century aesthetic identity, which will delight a Japanese audience also imbued with a powerful sense of tradition.
