Abraham-Louis Breguet and the watches were celebrated as the finest examples of horological art in the early 19th century.  But more than that, the watches of Breguet, and the house which would bear the master’s name came to symbolize a distinctive combination of design elements which in combination formed the unique Breguet aesthetic.  It has been imitated by many over the centuries.

What are these elements?  Most think immediately of the elegant, slender blued steel pomme-style hands (such is the nature of the association with Breguet watches, that these hands are almost universally called “Breguet hands”).  Then there is the magnificent, ornate engine turned dials that feature a diverse pattern of intricate guillochage.

But there is another thing that we owe to Breguet: eccentrically placed displays.  Breguet had a great deal of expressive freedom in the placement of subdials and indicators, in contrast to his contemporaries, who defined their creations with strict conformity to symmetry.  This trait can still be found in some modern Breguet timepieces, from highly complex pieces like the pictured Ref. 5447 Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar, to simply elegant creations like the Ref. 5140 Automatic watch, from the Classique collection.