WHL[VC Moderator]
4922
Comparative Review: Breguet and Vacheron Constantin
Feb 28, 2011,18:03 PM
Vacheron Constantin and Breguet are two of the most prestigious
watch manufacturers operating today. Both houses are at the pinnacle of
Swiss haute horlogerie, with each having a rich history filled with
important technical innovations and iconic designs, and each sustaining
excellence over their centuries of existence. Today both brands are
successfully managing to balance their rich heritage with their spirit
of innovation to create timepieces that are immediately identifiable as
being a Vacheron Constantin or a Bregeut while also appealing to
contemporary tastes and sensibilities.
When writing a comparative
review of watches from Vacheron Constantin and Breguet there are many
potential pairings to choose from, exactly as someone in the market for a
watch might explore. When looking for a luxury sport watch, one might
compare Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas Chronograph and Breguet’s Type
XXI Flyback Chronograph. If you prefer the avant-garde new watchmaking
but want the security of the established brands, Vacheron Constantin’s
Quai de l’Ile and Breguet’s La Tradition are each compelling timepieces.
For cost-no-object multiple complication time pieces, Vacheron
Constantin’s Patrimony Traditionnelle Caliber 2755, with tourbillon,
perpetual calendar, and minute repeater can complete with Breguet’s
Classique Complication 5447, with perpetual calendar and minute
repeater. This review will compare and contrast these brands at their
minimalistic best: classic dress watches with manual winding mechanical
movements that indicate only the hours and minutes: Vacheron
Constantin’s Patrimony Contemporaine, reference 81180, and Breguet’s
Classique reference 5967.
Some HistoryVacheron
Constantin was founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron. Not much is known
about the early years and work of Vacheron, and until the mid-20th
Century with the discovery of a document in the Canton of Geneva’s
archives stating that Jean-Marc Vacheron was taking on an apprentice,
Vacheron Constantin itself thought that its founding was in 1785! No
matter the early details, the firm developed a reputation for creating
beautiful watches of the highest quality.
Francois Constantin
joined Vacheron in the 1819 and was the consummate marketer and
salesman, pushing the watchmakers to new heights and spreading the reach
of the brand into more corners of the world, including the United
States in 1833. Georges-Auguste Leschot joined the brand in 1839 and he
revolutionized watchmaking by creating the tools that allowed for the
mass production of parts with great reliability and accuracy, and these
technical developments only furthered the brands reputation for
excellence.
Vacheron Constantin kept on top of fashion by being
an early adapter to creating wristwatches, and developed many
interesting designs that set this new form apart from the classic round
pocket watch. We owe the development of the “tonneau” case to Vacheron
Constantin. From the 1940’s through the 1960’s Vacheon Constantin along
with Patek Philippe made the finest wristwatches in the world. Watches
from this period represent a golden age, where thin, elegant, time
pieces epitomized the style of the period.
Breguet was founded in
1785 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, and his watches quickly earned him a
stellar reputation for quality and inventiveness. The Breguet name is
also now an adjective as when we talk about “Breguet hands,” “Breguet
overcoils,” and “Breguet numbers.” Abraham-Louis Breguet also invented
gong springs for repeating watches, and perhaps most famously, the
tourbillon.
The firm survived and thrived after his death, but
was eventually sold by Abraham-Louis’s grandson Louis-Clement Breguet to
the Brown family in 1870. The Brown family kept production continuous,
even through the difficult days of World War I, the Great Depression,
and World War II, but did not have the capital to allow Breguet to
compete with Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe in the post war
years. The Browns sold to the renowned jeweler Chaumet in 1970, which
was looking for a watchmaking division and respected the heritage that
Breguet possessed. Chaumet committed the capital to bring Breguet back
to prominence, despite the challenges of the “quartz crisis.” Invescorp
purchased Breguet in 1987 and rode the early years of the mechanical
renaissance. With Swatchgroup’s purchase of Breguet in 1999, and the
attention paid to it by legendary Swatchgroup founder Nicolas Hayek, who
invested considerable capital into the technical capabilities of the
firm as well as in marketing and distribution, Breguet was finally
brought back to the top tier of watchmaking.
The WatchesVacheron
Constantin’s Patrimony Contemporaine was originally introduced in 2004
as the Patrimony “Grande Taille.” It dramatically expanded the size of a
simple dress watch for the brand, and the designers thought that it
would stand apart as something different yet instilled with the
essential characteristic of a Vacheron Constantin dress watch. Prior to
its arrival, a simple manual winding two or three hand watch would have
been no larger than 36 mm in diameter. Reception of the watch in the
marketplace (especially in Italy) was favorable from the start, and now
the 40 mm size has become the norm for the brand, rather than the
exception!
Breguet,
which has been slower than Vacheron Constantin to employ larger cases,
introduced the Classique 5967 in 2009. This watch is 41 mm in diameter,
and has many of the hallmarks that distinguish a Breguet watch. There is
the classic coin edge finishing around the edge of the case, the hand
soldered lugs, and a guilloche dial with roman numbers and blued steel
Breguet hands. What distinguishes this watch from the more typical
Breguet is the particular artfulness of the pattern on the dial.
Historically,
Breguet dials featuring guilloche have had one basic pattern on the
dial, a tight “clos de paris” pattern. Sometimes watches that had
subdials or other power reserve arc might employ a contrasting pattern
for that particular indicator, contrasting it from the main dial:
Detail of the contrasting guilloche patterns of the Breguet Reference 3137 Breguet
has committed to expanding its expertise in dial making and its
in-house artisans have been freed to express their creativity by
developing new patterns that can be produced on rose engines. The
particular pattern on the 5967 is called “Art Deco Damier,” which
translates as checkerboard from the French. The stacked cube design
absorbs and reflects light in a dramatic fashion.
The
dial for the Patrimony Contemporaine is less dramatic on its
appearance, though no less fine in terms of the craftsmanship required
in making it. Like with Breuget’s guilloche dials, the base metal of the
dial is 18K gold. A subtle point about the dials in the Patrimony
Contemporaine series is that the base is made from the same color alloy
of gold as the case, so the white gold watch has a white gold dial that
has been silvered and the rose gold watch has a rose gold dial that has
been silvered. Set the watches side by side and the difference is
noticeable, though hard to tell in photos.
On
the dial are applied markers to indicate the hours and cabochons for
the minutes, giving a hint of depth to the dial. The hands are made from
polished gold and are classic baton style, emblematic of Vacheron
Constantin since the 1940’s.
Inside the watch is Vacheron
Constantin’s manufacture caliber 1400, first introduced in the Malte
Grande Classique in 2000. While arguably being the most beautiful
caliber made by any brand, with its gorgeously shaped bridges and cocks
and stellar finishing which has earned it the Geneva Hallmark, it is a
small movement, only 20 mm in diameter and a mere 2.3 mm thick. While a
sapphire crystal on the back would look wrong, the small movement does
allow for the dial to be curved, a detail that was occasionally used in
vintage Vacheron Constantin watches. The solid back leaves plenty of
room for an engraving (which Vacheron Constantin’s supremely talented
engraver could be commissioned to creates to personalize the watch).
Movement photos by John Davis The
Breguet 5967 is animated by a movement originally designed for pocket
watches. The Breguet caliber 506.2, based on Frederic Piguet’s Lepine
Caliber 15, is just over 36 mm in diameter and well suited for display
through the sapphire crystal case back. This movement is characterized
by its thinness, it being all of 1.9 mm thick. Like with most pocket
watch movements where the balance can be larger than with wristwatch
movement, the beat rate is a more leisurely 21,600 pulsations per hour.
While less artfully crafted than the Vacheron Constantin 1400, it is
well finished, attractive, easy to service, and reliable.
ConclusionsBoth
the Vacheron Contantin Patrimony Contemporaine and the Breguet
Classique express the distilled essence of their respective makers. Both
watches would hold a place of pride any collection, and I would be
thrilled to have either or both watches reside in my collection.
At
the time of this writing, the respective retail value of the Patrimony
and Classique in yellow gold is $13,900 and $16,400. The Patrimony is
available in rose gold and platinum while the Classique is not.
Respective retail value of each model in white gold is $14,700 and
$17,300. I attribute the premium for the Breguet to the extra labor
involved in crafting the hand-guilloche dial. I think that both watches
are fairly valued in comparison to simple dress watches from other
brands (Patek Philippe 5196, Lange Saxonia, and Audemars Piguet 15056).
My
only criticism of the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine is
that the movement is so much smaller than the case (and I could apply
this criticism to those even smaller references of Patek Philippe and
Audemars Piguet above), but I recognize that this is only an
intellectual problem, not an aesthetic one. The caliber 1400 was the
only in-house option available when the watch was designed, and I value
the watch more highly for having this movement than I would if it used
an ebauche sourced from some outside supplier. Winding the watch is a
true pleasure. Wearing the watch is a joy.
The Breguet Classique
5967 is a contemporary classic. It beautifully combines the timeless
stylistic characteristics of the brand with a fashionably appropriate
size and visually stunning postmodern textured dial.
Over the course writing this review I
came to appreciate the Patrimony Contemporaine for its classic elegance,
conservative styling, and contemporary size. Where before I had thought
that the American 1921, Patrimony Traditionnelle Self-Winding, or Quai
de l'Ile was going to be my next watch, I am actually going to make room
in my collection for the 81180. It suits my personality today and I'm
confident that it will suit me well for decades to come.
Bill
This message has been edited by WHL on 2011-03-05 06:51:46