Breguet

Abraham-Louis Breguet is widely considered one of the most important watchmakers of all time and is, in fact, responsible for many of the innovations that are now commonplace in nearly every mechanical watch produced today. It’s no wonder he is cited as an inspiration by the likes of George Daniels and F.P. Journe.

However, after a long period of dormancy, it was another important watchmaker who was responsible for the renaissance of Breguet during the 1980s: Daniel Roth.

The ultimate Breguet of the Roth era would be an homage to the great Abraham-Louis Breguet, who invented the tourbillon nearly two centuries earlier—the Reference 3350—which was later updated to the present Reference 3357 in 1995. The cal. 558 movement was developed by Roth in partnership with Lemania and is a no-expense-spared creation, as is evident in its exquisite hand finishing and decoration.

The semi-skeletonized dial puts the exposed tourbillon cage—secured by a black-polished steel bridge—on full display. The remainder of the dial showcases the hand-guilloché technique for which Breguet is renowned. In fact, when Swatch acquired Breguet, they not only began operating the world’s largest guilloché dial production facility, but also the largest restoration facility for Rose Turning Machines which produce the dials as the technique was virtually extinct. 

The present example is housed in a pink gold case and stands as one of the most important models of the modern era for Breguet—a tribute both to Abraham-Louis Breguet and to Daniel Roth.