I was instantly attracted to the Breguet Tradition when it was introduced in 2005. Despite the movement being based on Breguets historical Souscription and Tact pocket watches, using the design as a wristwatch was no less than groundbreaking. Never before had Breguet used this construction to show the mechanics of the movement above its baseplate, resplendent for the wearer to admire.When it comes to watches I love two things: simplicity and mechanics. The Breguet Tradition ticks both boxes. In its initial form, it is a simple two-hander, with only a power reserve indicator as a complication. Which, by the way, I consider an adequate feature for a hand winding watch. Looking at the watch, besides the time, it shows its movement at the same time, something that is very attractive and unusual. After the first iteration of Breguets Tradition, reference 7027, different models duly followed.
Breguet Tradition Quanti me R |trogradeIn addition to the basic model with just a power reserve indicator (now ref. 7057), Breguet presents models with retrograde seconds (ref. 7097), fus |e tourbillon (ref. 7047), second time-zone (ref. 7067), and a chronograph (ref. 7077). And now heres a model with retrograde date, indicated by Breguet as Quanti me R |trograde and reference 7597. This model like a few of the others as well isnt hand-wound but self-winding.Further, there was definitely a minute repeater model (ref. 7087), but I dont see that anymore in Breguets current line-up. However, there is a Tradition Dame model that has reference number 7038 and a bezel set with 68 (0.895 ct) diamonds.
As a reference point, take a look at the Breguet Montre a Tact (1799), the successor to the illustrious Montre Subscription, and clearly the inspiration for the Breguet Tradition series above.
Quanti me R |trogradeAs mentioned, I love simplicity in watches. One might want to argue with me that the Breguet 50x series of calibers arent simple, but construction-wise they actually are. Of course, the calibers of the Tradition line-up are impressive, but they impress me because of their uncluttered layout and relatively simple finish. Imagine if the base plate and bridges were finished with lets say a C?te de Gen ve or perlage decoration. That would make it a very different view and would destroy part of the attractiveness, in my opinion. The currently used almost industrial shot blast finish perfectly suits the Tradition series. a manual caliber and no additional complications would have been enough for meAs such, a Breguet Tradition that sports a manual caliber and no additional complications would have been enough for me. Theres always some sort of complication, though. Starting at a power reserve indicator, a retrograde second hand, up to on the model were talking about in this review a retrograde date. I wont go any further into the available Tradition complications; I think that with a chronograph, second time-zone, or tourbillon, any hint of simplicity will be lost anyhow.
First, a little lesson in FrenchBreguet names its Tradition model with a date?Quanti me R |trograde. Let me explain where that comes from. The leading French dictionary, Larousse, explains that the description of quanti me is date affich |e par les appareils horaires munis dun calendrier. It doesnt need much knowledge of the French language to tell that that means something like date shown on time devices that provide a calendar. And without any knowledge of the French language, even Google Translate is able to tell you something like that.
So what does the R |trograde refer to? The time itself is told via a simple two-handed dial, after all. In this instance, it is the date indicator that jumps back to the beginning (1) at the end of the month (31). As theres no possibility for the watch to know what month it is, at the end of the month, the date hand will always advance to 31. Manual advancing, and date adjustment in general, is very easy to do. The little conveniently screw-down-locked pusher at the 10 oclock position of the case will advance the date by one on every push.Is the retrograde date too much?When I first saw pictures of the Breguet Tradition Quanti me R |trograde, I thought that the retrograde date was a bit overwhelming. But as is often the case in real life, that wasnt true at all. The date segment fits closely to the case at the lower side of the case and is hardly in the way of your view on the movement. Overall, the blued date-hand and date-scale dont appear that pronounced.
I might even like the retrograde date better than the power reserve or the one with the retrograde seconds. Why? The date-scale is centered at the 6-side of the case and balances the dial nicely. In contrast, the power reserve and retrograde seconds bring some extra weight at the top-left side of the watchs face. I love symmetry in a watch, so for me, this is a plus point.
The 7597 has an automatic movementUnlike the first model of the Breguet Traditional in 2005, the Quanti me R |trograde has a self-winding caliber caliber 505Q, to be specific. As you will know, an automatic caliber uses a rotor to wind the watchs mainspring. This Breguet has a sapphire glass case back, so the rotor is visible. To be honest, the shape of the rotor came as quite a shock. The Breguet rotor is very different from rotors we know, to say the least. And at first sight, I really didnt like the shape of it.
Then I learned, however, that the shape of the rotor was inspired by Breguets early automatic pocket watches. So it has a historical background, which makes it more bearable. But and it might be a bit rude to say for me, it would have been perfectly fine if this watch had a closed, probably nicely engraved, case back. The knowledge that a historically inspired rotor is working inside would have been enough for me.
Seconds hackIts always nice to be able to pull out the crown and have a clear look at a stopped balance wheel, just like the picture here above. I didnt realize it myself initially, but @sourab.sekhar gave me a hint on one of my?Instagram posts. Normally the second-hack function of a watch is to stop the seconds at lets say 60 to set the watch to the exact time. However, the Breguet Quanti me R |trograde doesnt have a second hand. So the only reason for the hacking function seems to be to stop the balance wheel so it can be properly admired. To me, thats a totally legit reason, because the balance wheel is a beautiful one indeed.
ConclusionAlthough I mentioned some points in this review that might seem critical, Im totally in love with the?Breguet Quanti me R |trograde. If only. If only I could afford to spend 37,900 on a watch. In that case, it might have very well been this one. Wearing it for some time and working on the review was a blast; taking it off and handing it over to the Swatch Group was difficult. But hey, its only a watch; there are more important things in life (although thanks to this wonderful Breguet I cant think of one right now). Youll find additional information on the official?Breguet website, and youll find me on Instagram @gerardnijenbrinks
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karen johns
January 25, 2021
