3357 Breguet Classique Tourbillon

There are many watchmakers today with immense history who seem a bit aimless, but no brand extends so far in both directions as Breguet. This is the 3357, a watch whose architecture was designed by Daniel Roth in the mid-1980s Chaumet era which is still in the catalogue today. Breguet was Daniel Roth’s first ground-up creative endeavor with carte blanche, he was charged with recharging the brand. Roth created the 3350, a watch which is nearly identical to this 3357. Through Swatch Group’s entire tenure to date, the design has hardly charged. This says two things. First, Hayek really respected Breguet to point of being hands-off. Second, Roth’s work was an unequivocal success across decades, evergreen.

Back in 1988 when the 3350 was introduced, there was only one other Tourbillon in serial production, AP’s insanely ambitious 25643 ‘Sun Ray’ Tourbillon. Then, along came this Breguet which didn’t just look classic, it looked like a Breguet pocket watch. The 196-component calibre is just 4.8mm thin, with a finishing style more old English than Swiss. The caseback isn’t striped, but freehand engraved. Its dial is solid gold, hand guilloché. Roth studied the work Breguet had done in the King George III (rather amusingly, Régulateur à Tourbillon is translated into English on that dial as ‘Whirling About Regulator’). The result was the first classically beautiful tourbillon made for wrists instead of pockets. We’ve seen a few bright lights like the magnetic pivots in the ref. 7727 since, but on the whole Breguet haven’t bettered their first modern era (now neo-vintage) efforts.

Throughout the transition from Chaumet to the Bahrainian Investcorp to Swatch, the 3350 or 3357 has remained. It is, arguably, the watch which best defines modern Breguet. It was born perfect in the 80s, heavily referencing AL Breguet’s pocket watches, and hasn’t changed meaningfully since. This Lemania ébauche even became the basis for Roth’s eponymous brand later and still in JDN today. The RRP of a 3357BA today, if you were to waltz into Geneva, is 125K US. Look to the secondary market and these seem criminally undervalued: this example is under listed just under 40K. And the two watches, condition aside, are identical. It’s the anti-Rolex in that and many other senses.

This example has not been a safe queen, the gold bears moderate signs of use and a light polish. That should be noted. It still has its deployant clasp, but no set. It comes from a well-regarded London retailer.