Breguet

I feel fortunate having just discovered this forum last night.  In the effort to insure proper behavior on my behalf, I was sure to read all of the information on site etiquette.  I didn't see any membership time requirements for starting a new thread, so I hope I haven't misstepped...if so please forgive me.

To say that Ive had a love affair with Breguet for 20 years wouldn't quite be accurate, as Ive never been disappointed, frustrated, or enraged by my object of desire; and I must confess that it has been a love from afar with few exceptions.  Perhaps there is a bit more truth to my analogy as the question that Id like to ask could be construed as jealousy.  Id like to put forth to those with far greater knowledge on collecting timepieces, this wonderful little passion of ours, a question dealing with Breguet's position in the world of watchmaking today.  I get the feeling, at least in the USA, that Breguet gets ignored a bit...whether it be its exclusion in the supposed "Holy Trinity", or in the forums where Lange seems to assume the mantle of Patek's great competitor, or the laughable insinuations that derive from the Swatchgroup acquisition.  My collector friend says that while the Breguet complications are equal to that of PP & ALS, the brand as a whole is not because you can own a Breguet for far less than 20K so its not as exclusive...and of course he owns a Type XX!  Am I wrong to find this laughable, for the history of the timepieces he is referring to inherently has to be more affordable if they were to have the honor of being the French Military's choice in 1954!!  Does the MacBook Air, which bears virtually no relationship to the MacBook Pro, lessen the Apple brand?

Ive read previous posts where classique models were compared with Lange, with a sales rep calling the later "vastly superior".  I also read a thread that almost perfectly encapsulates my belief...".Patek is a business decision, Lange is wonderful but has no soul, and Vacheron is amazing but just missing that little something", in his opinion.  I always thought that the objective view was that Patek, Breguet, and Vacheron where at the very top of a very small but crowed list when it comes to complexity, craftsmanship, and luxury (I hate that word used for timepieces and prefer the word 'artistry')  When I first learned about timepieces 20 or so years ago, Lange was just getting rebooted, so I don't know them as well as the others.  So my belief was and still is that Breguet is Patek's great and most natural competitor.  And forgive me if I make this sound like a kindergarten competition, there is something to love about all timepieces of this caliber, but I have been only able to own Breguet and Patek. I apologize for my verbosity as I am easily carried away.   I would be so grateful to hear the opinions of those more knowledgable than I in the hopes of being enlightened.  

Mike

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