he poetic and elegant Breguet Classique Phase de Lune 9085 Valentine’s Day Edition gracefully celebrates the feast of lovers. Breguet numerals alternate with six rubies to display the passing of time on the dial, swept over by two traditional open-tipped blued steel hands, a signature of the House.

The mother-of-pearl dial is adorned with a very fine guilloché pattern, hand-crafted by the artisans of the Manufacture.

The hand-hammered gold moon phase appears at 6 o’clock, surrounded by a midnight blue lacquered sky dotted with gold stars. The Breguet inscription appears in an oval cartouche at 12 o’clock. Finally, the 30 mm white gold case and lugs are set with 66 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Just as with the recently unveiled Classique 8068 model, this watch comes with an interchangeable strap system. Designed for easy tool-free switching between straps, this mechanism is operated by simply pressing the pusher on the underside of the wristband, enabling the wearer to move seamlessly from one style to another in the blink of an eye.

The new Classique 9085BB is powered by Calibre 537L with its 231 components. Its gold oscillating weight is hand-engraved on a rose engine with a circular barleycorn pattern. Its balance oscillates at a frequency of 3.5 Hz.

The rhodium-plated self-winding movement has a 45-hour power reserve. It is equipped with an in-line Swiss lever escapement and a balance spring in silicon, a material endowed with numerous properties. In addition to being resistant to corrosion and wear, it is insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields and improves the accuracy of the timepiece. One of Breguet’s most cherished skills can be admired through the sapphire crystal caseback, with decorations such as chamfering and a Côtes de Genève motif embellishing the various movement components. The case is water-resistant to 3 bar (30 m).

With its lines featuring a blend of purity and refinement, the Classique collection faithfully illustrates the powerful aestheticism of the brand’s origins. Above and beyond his talent as a watchmaker and inventor, Abraham-Louis Breguet was also one of the first designers. When he founded the brand in Paris in 1775, the baroque style was in fashion. He invented and initiated the neoclassical style in watchmaking – an aesthetic vision that gave the dials an avant-garde look while making it easier to read the indications. He created a range of stylish innovations including open-tipped hands, the guilloché motif and the off-centre dial.

The latter was first used on pocket watches in 1812 and established the brand’s DNA. Inspired by these creations, the first interpretation of the Classique 8068 wristwatch was introduced in 2003. In 2016, Breguet enriched the collection with the Classique Phase de Lune 9088 model. On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, this modern, romantic new variation remains faithful to the strong aesthetic signatures of the Classique line.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Case: 18K white gold, sapphire caseback, bezel and lugs set with 66 diamonds

• Dimensions: 30 mm

• Thickness: 9.85 mm

• Dial: white mother-of-pearl dial, hand-engraved on a rose engine

• Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, moon phase

• Movement: self-winding with gold oscillating weight

• Escapement: in-line Swiss lever escapement, with escape-wheel and flat balance spring in silicon

• Water resistance: 3 bar (30 m)

• Calibre: 537L

• Components: 231

• Frequency: 3.5 Hz

• Power reserve: 45 hours

• Strap: red alligator leather as well as an additional strap in pearly white alligator leather. The two straps are fitted with pin buckles and supplied in the Valentine’s Day boxed set.

• 28-piece numbered limited edition