Breguet has a history steeped in producing beautiful works of art for very demanding and often distinguished clients. Its Tradition family has always been a bit different from the normal, exposing the mechanical workings by keeping time-telling to a smaller dial, with the rest left open. This year, however, there is an extra reason to go Tradition, with the introduction of a dual-time watch for travellers. The Tradition 7067 GMT, available in white or rose gold, keeps the standard architecture of the Tradition family by exposing the main components of the movement, but adding what many are calling the most intelligent and practical complication of modern times. An off-centre, silvered 18ct gold dial at 12 o'clock tells local time using beautifully blued open-tipped Breguet hands that you can adjust easily via a button on the caseband at 10 o'clock as you land in another zone. An engine-turned 18ct gold dial (black-coated) at 8 o'clock, opens at the centre, keeps home time running, while a smaller engine-turned dial just above it has day and night indication of that home time. An anthracite-coloured movement at 4 o'clock fills the remaining visual space, highlighting the exposed balance wheel. The watch uses a manually wound movement with a power reserve of 50 hours, indication of which can be seen through the sapphire crystal caseback. The 40mm case that holds this new complication has the Breguet signature fluted caseband and welded lugs. This combination of useful complication, historic look and clean, classic balance has produced a timepiece that many consider a highlight of the brand this year, if not the BaselWorld show itself, and it will bring many enthusiasts into the Tradition world. A watch that is more classically historical in some ways, but more forward-thinking in others, is the Breguet Classique Chronometrie Reference 7727. One look at the full 18ct silvered gold dial will tell you how much emphasis is placed on the past, with discerning eyes noticing that six different patterns are employed on the engine-turned surface. 'Geneva waves' appear in the centre area, a Clou de Paris hobnail pattern appears on the small seconds indicator and the tenths-of-a-second subdial uses a sunburst design. The power reserve indicator has chevrons, the chapter ring for hours has an edging decoration and the outside edge uses a barleycorn pattern. The blued Breguet hour and minute hands are slightly off centre, and the small seconds hand located at 12 o'clock is actually a nod to the first eccentric dial produced by the brand more than 200 years ago. Looking further, you will see how much technology is highlighted in this visually classical watch. At 1 o'clock is a patented silicon hand spinning around to measure tenths of a second. The use of ultra-light silicon here reduces inertia and thereby helps limit its effect on balance oscillations. Further around the dial at 2 o'clock is another Breguet invention, the Pare-chute shock absorber. A 60-hour power reserve is indicated at 5 o'clock and, just in case anyone needs further explanation of the technological aspects of the watch, red lettering at around 9 o'clock says: '10 Hz'. This 10Hz technology has already been presented by Breguet, as a chronograph. In the Classique, this high frequency is meant to improve stability and precision. Without the red letters that appear on this early piece shown at BaselWorld, the only thing marking this artistic piece as technically challenging would be the tiny tenths-of-a-second indicator at 1 o'clock, something many non-enthusiasts would miss. Such subtlety will appeal to many collectors. The Ref. 7727BR/12/9WU uses an 18ct rose gold case of 41mm to house the manually wound 574 DR calibre, which is finely finished and visible through the sapphire crystal caseback.
