Breguet has a strong historical bias for almost all of its timepieces. The Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597 is one of them. You can see by looking at this watch’s features that even adding the most simple complication isn’t always that simple.
There are five main models in the Breguet Tradition collection: the hand-wound, GMT, Automatic Retrograde Second, Chronograph, and Tourbillon Fusée-and-Chain. For the first time since 2005, Breguet is introducing a calendar indicator to the collection with its new reference 7597.
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The new Breguet Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597 is really based on the Automatique Seconde Retrograde 7097 since it has the same self-winding base movement, but it does not feature retrograde seconds because a new date function has taken their place.
The new Tradition 7597 case maintains the collection’s traditional proportions, with a respectable diameter of 40mm and a height of 12.10mm. Being a Breguet, the caseband is delicately fluted and has a narrow and polished bezel that provides a clear view of the movement, which is what is truly important.
In order to keep the strap in place, the case also has individually welded straight and angular lugs with screw bars at the tips. Both the 18k white gold and 18k rose gold options have a matching colour for their case and strap.
The watch face is much like any other Tradition watch, with all of the important components of the mechanism displayed. A dial that is slightly off-center and barely covers the movement displays the time in hours and minutes. The time is indicated by vintage Breguet hands in blued steel that have the brand’s distinctively atypical “moon” tip and point to a chapter ring with Roman numerals.
The construction of the movement is the main idea of the Tradition watches. With the gear train on the left side and the regulating organ on the right side, it is clear where its lineage comes from and how it pays homage to the original watches.
The key innovation of the Breguet Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597 is the date addition, which is shown on the track between 3 and 9 o’clock. A retrograde date was the ideal choice given the movement’s complex architectural design and numerous components.
A screwed push-button at 10 o’clock allows for quick date correction. The centrally located date hand’s form is also excellent, and it is made of blued steel. It needs to be manually molded before being thermally blued in order to pass over the balance and center wheel.
The centre rotor and the identical ornamentation seen on the dial side are also visible on the case back. Although it now turns conventionally through 360 degrees, its design is reminiscent of the winding mass seen on early Perpetuelle pocket clocks.
It has a hand-polished bercé surface composed of solid gold. Despite having an antique appearance, the calibre 505Q uses contemporary components, such as an anti-magnetic Breguet balancing spring and a reverse in-line lever escapement with silicone horns. The movement beats at a 3 Hz frequency and has a 50-hour power reserve.
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