Tradition Seconde Retrograde7037

Breguet continues the Tradition story

In 2026, Breguet is revitalising its Tradition collection, a cornerstone of the Manufacture’s history. It distinctively embodies the Breguet DNA by uniting the House’s key characteristics within its movement, visible on the dial side and showcasing the brand’s heritage, its founder’s legacy, as well as the path along which its future will be written.

The collection now welcomes several new models: Tradition 7037 and 7097, notably distinguished by a retrograde small seconds display; Tradition 7038, also featuring a retrograde small seconds hand as well as gemset bezel and buckle; along with Tradition 7067 comprising a dual-time display.

Clever changes give these models a more contemporary feel, notably through the use of Arabic (rather than Roman) numerals on certain models, traditional Grand Feu enamel dials, new movement finishes and new straps.

Looking back at an iconic line

The Tradition collection was launched in 2005. Over 20 years on, it has clearly established itself as a benchmark for collectors, embodying the dual objective pursued by Abraham-Louis Breguet: to design an exceptional movement whilst achieving perfect aesthetic harmony.

The Tradition model melds these two pursuits within a unique and coherent whole that can be admired in full from the dial side. Its exemplary symmetrical, perfectly balanced movement structure is a bedrock of its identity. Inverting the calibre means that watch components usually concealed at the back are now front-facing. All the elements are thus immediately visible, revealing Breguet’s genius at a glance: the clear layout, the simple and legible mechanical arrangement, the quality of the finishes, as well as the ingenuity of the display and the technical excellence.

The top of the timepiece features an offset dial directly inspired by the Tact watch. The same applies to the entire movement structure likewise inherited from this iconic timepiece. The Tact watch was conceptualised by the master watchmaker as early as 1795 and went on sale from 1799. It was itself heir to the design of the Souscription watch developed a few years earlier.

The Tradition 2026 new releases build upon this foundation to steer the collection in a more modern direction. Paradoxically, this is an eminently historical approach, as it remains faithful to Abraham-Louis Breguet’s horological vision: to constantly advance his art and design, to embrace the spirit of his era and to remain ahead of his time. By combining time-honoured expertise with contemporary techniques, these new models fully embrace modernity.

With these new offerings, Breguet reaffirms the purpose of its founding maestro and in so doing meets the expectations of 21st-century collectors seeking timepieces that reflect their generation and lifestyle.

Tradition Seconde Retrograde 7037

Tradition 7037 epitomises deliberate, unpretentious simplicity: a 38 mm white gold case, two hands for the hours and minutes, along with a small retrograde seconds hand confirming its smooth operation throughout its 50-hour power reserve.

This choice of a watch design pared down to this extent has enabled the Breguet teams to endow the timepiece with a new aesthetic dimension, featuring a largely open dial devoid of any complications. The components are arranged in a remarkably harmonious way. It is through meticulous finishing that the Manufacture has been able to enhance their very essence. For the first time, the Tradition 7037 presents a movement that is entirely blue. The mainplate is finely shotblasted, the bridges satin-brushed and the barrel cover hand-guilloché with a snailed pattern. All components are hand-finished.

The most striking feature however is the hours dial at 12 o’clock, set against a white gold background. It is crafted from traditional white Grand Feu enamel instead of the usual guilloché dial, as well as replacing Roman with Arabic numerals.

Historians of the Manufacture will particularly note the latter choice as it bestows a more contemporary design on the Tradition 7037’s dial, even though A.-L. Breguet had in fact opted for such Arabic numerals as early as 1799 – a highly radical move at the time! The new Tradition 7037 thus forges a strong link between Breguet the watchmaker and Breguet the Manufacture. Two and a half centuries later, the same drive for modernity is reflected in an identical choice: that of Breguet Arabic numerals. Designed by the maestro in 1783, they were later adopted by many other watchmakers and this invention has truly benefited the entire industry.

Closely attuned with the Breguet spirit

The approach is the same on the caseback, where the movement proudly displays its half-moon-shaped oscillating weight. This is a direct reference to the design conceptualised by A.-L. Breguet himself. By developing such a rotor, the watchmaker was once again breaking new ground for his time, in two respects.

Firstly, by personally laying the foundations for the self-winding watch. While several earlier works appear to attest to its conception by other watchmaker-mechanics, the Breguet 1/8/82 watch on which work probably began before 1780 is indisputably the first-ever self-winding watch that we still have today – as it is now in the Breguet Museum on Place Vendôme.

Secondly, by making the oscillating weight in platinum, a revolutionary material for the late-18th century. The process for producing it had in fact only just been discovered at the time (1780). Always on the lookout for innovative technical solutions to optimise his movements, A.-L. Breguet realised that platinum – being 30% denser than gold and 2.5 times heavier than steel – offered better winding performance for his perpétuelle watch. By reviving the use of this material, Manufacture Breguet pays tribute to this visionary talent well ahead of his time while still remarkably relevant – as platinum is still used today for countless oscillating weights.

Presented in a 38 mm gold case, Tradition 7037 is fitted with a blue saddle stitched leather looking rubber strap with light grey topstitching. Breguet also offers a version of this watch with a white rubber strap.