Breguet Classique Quantième Perpétuel 7327
Breguet is updating its perpetual calendar with the new Breguet Classique Quantième Perpétuel 7327. It’ll succeed the long-standing ref. 5327 that’s been in Breguet’s collection since 2004. The new reference simplifies Breguet’s perpetual calendar, but it still looks classically Breguet.
Like the previous 5327, the new Breguet Classique Quantième Perpétuel 7327 measures 39mm and 9mm thick, available in an 18-karat white or pink gold case. The main design update is the addition of a retrograde month display at 11 o’clock, which takes the place of a power reserve indicator in the 5327. This means the new perpetual calendar has five sub-displays, not six. The date indicator at six o’clock has also been enlarged, balancing out the retrograde and making it more readable. Another readily noticeable change is the moonphase indicator: still sitting between two and three o’clock, it does away with its classic engraved cloud motif and man-in-the-moonphase, opting instead for a simpler hand-hammered moon. Removing the smiling, whimsical moon, not to mention the extra steps required to create it, might come as a disappointment to some, though the new moon does have a charm all its own.
As is typical with Breguet, the dial is solid gold that’s been silvered and finished with guilloche using traditional rose engines. But the guilloche has been simplified: it’s now finished entirely in a single clous de Paris pattern – the previous generation used various guilloche patterns across the sub-displays, giving the dial additional texture and complexity, both in production and in aesthetic. That said, the hobnail pattern in the updated 7327 does look finer; together, the updates make for a cleaner, simpler dial that’s asymmetrical in the tradition of Breguet. The outer hour scale is brushed, and the Breguet secret signature can be seen engraved on either side of 12 o’clock.
Other elements of the 7327 are also traditionally Breguet – of course, that starts with the blued steel Breguet hands. The midcase features a coin-edge finish, and the long, thin lugs are soldered to the case.
The ref. 7327 is powered by the familiar 502.3.P, an ultra-thin perpetual automatic caliber with a perpetual calendar module. It’s the same base movement used in the previous 5327 (and older ref. 3310 for that matter), but with a modified perpetual calendar module that accommodates the updated dial design. While the previous 5327 was beautifully engraved and featured a skeletonized gold rotor, that’s also been retired for more traditional and simple finishing in the updated 7327. The updated 502.3.P does come with a few other technical upgrades, including a free-sprung balance wheel and a silicon hairspring.
The 7327 takes as its inspiration the previous 5327 and the original 3310, which was introduced in 1986 when watchmaker Daniel Roth was in charge of reviving the brand. Both watches had essentially the same dial design and layout, with six subdials for power reserve, day, date, month, leap year, and moonphase. The subdials on these older references even exhibit different guilloche patterns – these were ornate, complicated watches, and there’s a reason collectors have taken increased notice of the ref. 3310 in particular recently (thanks in part to its connection to Roth, no doubt).
But the 7327 is a more simple and contemporary spin on Breguet’s perpetual calendar, while still trying to execute Breguet traditional aesthetic and classical inspiration that dates to the 18th century. The two most noticeable changes are the simplified dial and movement finishing. Breguet is known as one of the largest owners of guilloche machines in Switzerland and is one of the few brands that actually puts them to use to create guilloche dials using the traditional method. That said, winnowing down the guilloche to a single clous de Paris pattern will come to the chagrin of some, removing classic details in the name of making the 7327 more contemporary.
It seems Breguet has also done away with the intricate engraving of the movement from the 5327, which was complete with an engraved and skeletonized gold rotor. This ornate finishing set Breguet’s perpetual calendar apart, but it’s been retired in favor of a movement that looks much more traditional and common. In the same way I’ll miss the multiple guilloche patterns on the dial, I’ll also miss the engraved bridges and rotor of the 5327. That said, the updated movement features Cotes de Geneve, anglage, polished screws, and other finishing you’d expect in a high-end caliber. The updated Quantième Perpétuel uses the same base caliber 502 that Breguet’s been using since the reference 3310. It has an F. Piguet caliber 71 as its foundation, a well-known ultra-thin movement that high-end brands have used since the ’70s. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the 502.3.P is the off-center rotor, which can be seen through the sapphire caseback.
The Breguet Quantième Perpétuel 7327 has a retail price of $80,200. For now, the previous 5327 is still listed in Breguet’s catalog at a price of $73,900. If you’re a fan of those dial and movement details that set apart the 5327, it’s your chance to pick one up, and for less than the updated, simplified 7327 (better yet, the 36mm ref. 3310 can be found for a fraction of either). This represents about an 8 percent price bump, not out of line with what we’ve seen from other brands over the past few years.
Even with these updates to its Quantième Perpétuel, Breguet remains committed to its classical and traditional viewpoint on watchmaking, if a bit simplified. The 7327 seems to maintain this classical perspective while updating it for contemporary tastes.
