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Breguet

Perpetual (E)motion Machine

 

I own a Lange 1 and I am very fond of it. I think that it has great, clean design that deserves the place in the pantheon it enjoys, I think that it reflects an enviable level of crafstmanship. I think that its symbolic value to the German watch industry would be hard to exaggerate. All of that said, I would jump at the Breguet perpetual had I the means and the opportunity (I surely have the motive). The whole point of this Breguet seems to me to be emotion. The complete rejection of contemporary design values does leave the dial looking busy, but that is an intentional preservation of the past, not because someone at Breguet forgot to call the design team in for an update. The complexity of any perpetual calendar isn't there because it's a material hassle to advance the thing a day every now and then; it's there because a House has been able to design one and some people still respect that more than sticking a hearing aid battery in the back of a plastic case. It is "over the top" in all the right ways and for all the right reasons. IMHO, the Lange 1 is great; the Breguet is greatness.

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10 Comments view entire thread 

Brequet 5327 perpetual or Lange & Sohne 1

 
By: NavarroOne : September 17th, 2007-22:59
I'm torn between the clean look of a L&S 1 and the ornate look of the Brequet 5327 perpetual in yellow gold. I am not looking for a guaranteed investment, I want a watch I can get really emotional about. However spending this amount of money is a very sig...  

I prefer the Lange 1

 
By: SJX : September 18th, 2007-03:38
I find that particularly Breguet perpetual too cluttered. I prefer the ref. 7707 linear perpetual calendar, which is more sleek and elegant IMHO. As far as I know Breguet does not reveal annual production, but my guess would be in the vicinity of 30,000-5... 

production numbers

 
By: NavarroOne : September 18th, 2007-05:30
I agree the Lange 1 base model is almost unparalleled clean looking yet sophisticated enough to warrant comparison with Breguet and not as whitepaper simple as the classic PP Calatrava. I remain undecided exactly where to go so if we stay on target and di... 

Perpetual (E)motion Machine

 
By: bigdave : September 19th, 2007-03:44
I own a Lange 1 and I am very fond of it. I think that it has great, clean design that deserves the place in the pantheon it enjoys, I think that it reflects an enviable level of crafstmanship. I think that its symbolic value to the German watch industry ...  

I am not sure the ref. 5327 is an original Breguet design

 
By: SJX : September 19th, 2007-04:20
from the time of A. L. Breguet himself. My personal favourites from Breguet are not perpetual calendars, they are simple calendars, but both are wristwatch versions of original Breguet pocketwatches. And as you can see, they are simple and uncluttered, de...  

Perfectly Fair Points

 
By: bigdave : September 19th, 2007-19:37
I didn't mean to sound like I knew the origin of the perpetual's design; I surely don't. What I did mean to say is that it does not reflect a contemporary view of design, whenever it was first introduced. As to whether the cleaner designs you refer to are... 

Try a F.P. Journe Octa Reserve de Marche

 
By: rosannaquinn : October 11th, 2007-16:35
I have owned Breguet Marine, Jaeger Reverso, Patek 5035, Lange 1, and others and nothing thus far has held my attention like the F.P. Journe Octa Reserve de Marche (Platinum). Journe is actually doing some of the work on Patek complications and each piece... 

FPJ & Breguet

 
By: NavarroOne : October 16th, 2007-05:46
I like FP Journe; to some extent I think he may be a modern reincarnation of AL Breguet, meaning that he may just be the most brilliant and original watch maker today. That said, I picked up my Breguet 5327 Perpetual this weekend and I'm overjoyed. I chec... 

postscript

 
By: NavarroOne : September 18th, 2009-10:04
I chanced on this string in a global search and thought I'd update you all. I havent acquired any watches since the perpetual; I remain satiated to this point. The watch is still a stranger, like a romance you cannot quite comprehend. This is a love relat...