Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes in Black and Rose Gold

There have been a lot of Avante Garde chiming complication wristwatches lately. By which I mean non-traditional, hyper modern takes on what is a very traditional and classy piece of haute horology. The main watches I’m thinking of being the Bel Canto and the Streamliner Pandamonium. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of those watches, but it’s nice to see Breguet take us back to traditional elegance with the Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes, now available in a new edition with black dial and rose gold case.

Since I’ve been rambling about minute repeaters and chiming complications I should probably explain what that actually is. In short, a minute repeater is a type of haute horology complication that uses tiny hammers and gongs to give an audio representation of the time, much like the chiming of a clock but in miniature form. It is one of the most demanding types of complication requiring a mastery of the disciplines of both watchmaking and sound. Every watch is hand crafted and so the resonant note of each individual gong is different and coaxing out the best possible sound is a delicate task involving tiny adjustments to the gongs, gong holders, hammers or even the watch’s case.

Every small feature has to be in total harmony, although ‘small’ isn’t necessarily the right word in every instance since the mechanism inside is so intricate, the Classique 7637 as a whole is quite big. It has a 42mm diameter case in rose gold, which as a size is much more dive watch than dress watch which in general tend to be smaller with more vintage proportions. However, that size is offset somewhat by the fact that it’s impressively thin at just 12.25mm.

What really gives the piece its minimalist elegance is the dial, which is completely black with rose gold hands and Arabic numerals. The hands and numerals, to no one’s surprise, use the signature Breguet design. Meaning the hands have circles near their tips and the numerals are flowing and slightly cursive. The dial itself warrants a closer look as well because it’s made from Grand Feu enamel, which is what gives it its impressive smoothness and rich black colour.

The movement powering it all is the Breguet 567.2, a manual wind calibre with 40-hour power reserve. It’s the same movement as used in the previous blue and white gold edition. Although the new black and rose gold Classique 7637 Minute Repeater is actually a slightly lower price at £226,900 compared to £227,800… I did say it was a slight difference. But at this level of craftsmanship between the mechanism of the minute repeater and the enamel dial, that kind of price is not unexpected.