Haute Complication; Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon 5345 Quai de l’Horloge

There are quite a few watches that offer more than one tourbillon, but none quite like the Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon. The brand introduced this watch in 2006, and what sets it apart is that it combines two tourbillon cages mounted on the main plate. This entire plate moves and makes a full circle, which allows Breguet to mount the hour hand on it. While this makes the watch quite imposing, regardless of the version it was made in, is the latest, the Classique Double Tourbillon 5345 Quai de l’Horloge, actually a step up.

This is mainly achieved by ‘simply’ showing more of the unique movement. Now clearly visible are not only the two tourbillons but also most of the gear train and the mainspring barrels. Each of the tourbillons has its own mainspring, placed underneath the elegantly shaped “B” of Breguet. They are hand-beveled and polished, in line with the rest of the exquisite finish of the movement. The mainsprings have each a gear train, while the output of both tourbillons is guided through a differential to get the most precise timekeeping.

While this new design gives the front of the watch a more technical appearance, also highlighted by a beautiful box sapphire crystal, is the watch’s back an attraction of its own. Breguet now has a splendid boutique at Place Vendôme, but the brand’s founding father, Abraham-Louis Breguet, worked most of his life at no.39, Quai d’Horloge. A prestigious location, especially during his days, on Île de la Cité, one of the two naturally formed islands within Paris’s city limits. While this area is soaked with centuries of history, will most people know it because Notre Dame is only a stone throw away. The back of the movement is engraved with the building of no.39, Quai d’Horloge how it would have looked in Breguet’s time. The number of details is absolutely stunning, and the longer you look, the more you see. With this, Breguet sets a new standard for their Double Tourbillon, and given the very high level of the previous versions, is this quite an accomplishment.