In the world of luxury watches, there’s often a tug of war between price and complication.
The more sophisticated, intricate, and elaborate a movement is, the higher up the monetary ladder a watch will climb. Only the most respected high-horology names even venture to attempt the most complicated movements.
Today’s watch is an anomaly in this convention. No, this piece isn’t made by a little-known boutique manufacturer — it’s made by Breguet, one of the most revered brands in horological history. No, this piece isn’t a simple time-only dress watch — it’s a perpetual calendar executed in an extra-slim package. And yet, this watch trades for significantly less than many watches with a similar complication. In short, it’s proof positive that if you know where to look, you can still find outsized value in the watch world.
A Breguet Classique Perpetual Calendar dating to the 2000s, its 37mm diameter makes it perfect for both men and women. Housed in an 18K yellow gold case with a stepped bezel, a cabochon-style crown, straight lugs, and a sapphire crystal, it features a white guilloché dial with an outer minute track in black, a blued steel ‘Breguet’ handset, a power reserve indicator between 10 and 11 o’clock, a moonphase display between 1 and 2 o’clock, a central month display, a day indicator at 4 o’clock, a date indicator at 6 o’clock, and a leap year indicator at 8 o’clock.
Powered by a self-winding movement, it comes paired to a unique signed, factory-issued black leather strap with an 18K yellow gold pin buckle that includes space for a small calendar adjustment tool. This way, you can handily adjust your watch no matter where you are. (Not that you’d have much need to — a perpetual calendar rarely needs manual adjustment, which is the entire point of the complication!)
If you’re on the hunt for an elegant, complicated calendar watch from a company with several hundred years of watchmaking history, look no further than this beautiful Classique Reference 3310BA!