Very recently, Breguet kickstarted its 250th anniversary celebrations with a modern re-interpretation of the historical Souscription pocket watch as conceived by Abraham-Louis Breguet at the end of the 18th century. This release had a strong connection to the original, both in terms of looks as well as movement architecture.
But when it comes to the latter, Breguet has in fact been championing the Souscription for a while— through the Tradition collection, which was introduced in 2005. The Tradition has since been seen in many forms and complications, but its calling card is its openworked, inverted movement, which showcases the Souscription-inspired architecture on the dial side—including centrally positioned barrel and symmetrical layout with the balance spring opposite the geartrain.
This year, a special 250-piece limited edition of the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 is being unveiled for the 250th anniversary. Breguet gold, the brand’s exclusive gold alloy that was first seen on the recent Souscription wristwatch, has been chosen for the 38mm diameter case. It combines resistive properties with a warm hue and lasting shine. A specially developed plating ensures that the plates and bridges of the exposed movement are a colour match—though a few components have been left silver-toned for a touch of contrast.
A much bigger contrast is the deep blue dial—Breguet blue, in fact, which is a signature shade of the brand, and one inspired by the heat-treated screws and hands common throughout horology. In fact, on this watch, the tinted, translucent grand feu enamel surface of the dial is, indeed, a match for the blued screws of the movement, as well as the hands of the retrograde seconds indicator just to the left of the dial. It also sports a striking ‘Quai de l’Horloge’ guilloché pattern, inspired by the Seine river as it flowed around the location in Paris where Abraham-Louis Breguet once sited his workshop. 
On the back of the watch is one more nod to the past. The winding rotor of the Calibre 505SR is crescent-shaped, a reference to Abraham-Louis’ Perpétuelle pocket watches, which appeared around 1780 and were a landmark moment for his early career. It is constructed out of platinum, another nod to the man who may have introduced the material’s use to watchmaking.
