Breguet No. 7637 Boutique Exclusive Minute Repeater

Breguet's No.6457 Minute Repeater

Not too long ago, we showed you Breguet's Fusée Tourbillon, an amazing piece of haute horology that uses a nearly forgotten complication to increase accuracy. Well today we have another of Breguet's amazing high complication watches for you. Here we go hands-on with the boutique exclusive No. 7637 minute repeater, bringing you all the details, including live photos and a video of the beautiful repeater in action.




A Closer Look At The Dial

The first thing you notice about the 7637 is the beautiful sapphire center dial, which allows you to see the top-notch finishing on the movement's various components. The chamfered edges, brushed surfaces, and perlage on the plates offers a nice contrast of textures and luminescence, giving the dial great visual depth.

The dial itself is extremely straightforward. There are the signature blued steel Breguet minutes and hours hands, which point to to the brushed register around the dial's edge. Black roman numerals, little gold pips, and delicate graining accent this brushed portion of the dial, emphasizing just how much attention has been paid to the little details here. Two small engraved "Breguet" signatures flank the "XII" up top. At 9 o'clock there is also a running 30-second register with arabic numerals and diamond markers, giving a little modern touch to the otherwise traditional watch. You'll notice that unlike the standard 7637, the 24-hour register at 3 o'clock has been removed for this special edition.




The Amazing Movement With Filigree Decoration

If you flip the 42mm pink gold case over, you can see the extravagantly decorated movement through the sapphire caseback. The sweeping bridges are covered in ornate filigree work, as are the plates below them. Combine this with extremely bright rubies and you get a movement that really glitters. This kind of finishing really shows off just what Breguet can do with very traditional techniques and styles. Really impressive indeed.



Minute Repeater Slide

And, like we said above, this watch is a minute repeater. You can see the compact slide on the case at 9 o'clock, which activates a very loud and resonate repeater. Though the aesthetics of this watch are extremely traditional, the repeater mechanism itself is a new development by Breguet. Called a "gong-spring" repeater, it uses a patented new positioning of the repeating mechanisms for better overall effect. You can see a video of the repeater below. Be sure to notice the hammers striking the gongs on the right side of the screen, and please pardon the shaky camera work.

All in all, this is a really outstanding piece from Breguet. It is a new take on a historic complication, placed in an ornate, traditionally decorated package. Priced at $238,500, this version of the No. 7637 is a boutique exclusive. For more information, visit Breguet's website or contact the 5th Avenue boutique at (646) 692-6469.