Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon Dragon - 5345 Special Edition | Image: Breguet

Breguet’s Double Dragon Tourbillon Pulls No Punches

By Nick Hall - News

Published: 22 Jan 2024

If, like me, you grew up in the ’90s, a fair chunk of your childhood would have been spent in front of the Super Nintendo throwing an endless flurry of combos on Double Dragon. The iconic arcade fighting game has largely gone unrecognised in the years that have passed, but with the unveiling of seminal watchmaker Breguet‘s latest pieces, I couldn’t help but be reminded of those fond memories. Unveiled in celebration of the Chinese Zodiac, the new Classique Double Tourbillon Dragon – 5345 Special Edition and Classique Dragon – 7145 introduces a pair of the mythical beasts into the fold.

On the zodiac calendar, the enigmatic Year of the Dragon is widely heralded as a year of power, courage, nobility and success, so it’s little wonder Breguet has gone all out with its new pieces. The Classique Double Tourbillon Dragon – 5345 is arguably one of the maison’s most complex releases to date, taking Abraham-Louis Breguet’s 200-year-old innovation to new levels.

This stunning watch features a double tourbillon movement, mounted on a rotating central plate that sets into rotation the hours hand, which serves as the upper bridge for one of the tourbillons and its extension as a bridge for the second. Despite this production, the two tourbillons operate completely independently of each other, with Breguet explaining that each makes “one turn per minute via its own gear train and barrel”. Weaving its way through the twin tourbillons is a delicately adorned dragon, hand-engraved entirely from gold, pictured clutching a mother-of-pearl in its talons.

“Legend has it that this pearl possesses the sacred essence that gives the dragon its power. It is also said to represent sagacity,” Breguet said. “The creature symbolises the emperor as being one who rules his empire with wisdom.”

Powering the whole 46mm beast is the 749-component Calibre 588N1 movement, a hand-wound mechanism that boasts 60 hours of power reserve and 2.5 Hz frequency. Best of all, you can see the stunning guilloché movement in action via the sapphire caseback.

Of course, Breguet has adorned the piece with its Roman numerals and its signature minutes track, but you’d hardly be blamed for missing it. There is so much going on with this incredible timepiece, it’s almost hard to know where to look. What’s more, it doesn’t arrive alone.

Breguet Classique Dragon - 7145 | Image: Breguet — Breguet Classique Dragon – 7145 | Image: Breguet

The Breguet Classique Dragon – 7145, the Double Tourbillon Dragon’s slightly more subdued sibling arrives with a crimson red dial highlighted by Grand Feu enamelling. A process rarely utilised today, the artform sees a craftsman apply a mixture of silica and oxides to the watch face, which is then fired several times in order to create the finished product.

This time around, the hand-engraved rose gold applique dragon again appears, however, the mother of pearl has been removed from his grasp and instead, sits slightly below. Inside the 40mm timepiece, Breguet has opted for the calibre 502.3 movement, a 162-component self-winding innovation with a balance spring and pallet lever in silicon that offers 45 hours of power reserve.

For Breguet, the two new timepieces offer a rare glimpse into the year ahead. Designed to celebrate one of the most important signs on the zodiac calendar, the new Classique range is rich with delicate intricacies and refined construction. In a sense, it’s opulence taken to the extreme, as only Breguet can do. The new Breguet Classique Dragon – 7145 is limited to just eight pieces worldwide with pricing for both available by request. If we had to guess, it’s more than we can afford.

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