This week, as the latest version of the contemporary art fair Frieze opens in New York City, a new partnership will be unveiled that might not initially seem modern or innovative: an alliance of Frieze and Breguet, the heritage watch brand that was founded in 1775 by the visionary watchmaker Abraham Louis-Breguet.
“Breguet carries such gravitas with the name because of the links with Abraham-Louis Breguet back in the 1700s, when he invented everything that is still utilised in some way, shape or form,” explains Rikki Daman, co-founder of the podcast Scottish Watches. That includes the first wristwatch, which was introduced by the brand in 1810, along with tourbillons and many other innovations.
Right now, Breguet is having a moment, fuelled by interest from younger collectors and new timepieces that merge the brand’s trademark craftsmanship with a somewhat more casual aesthetic. The brand is potentially positioned, Daman says, to be along the lines of Vacheron Constantin, which, as he puts it, “over the last couple years have gone from zero to hero. Breguet could be the next ones to do that.”
Today, for example, Breguet is debuting a new iteration of its Traditional series of watches, the Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597. It combines the classic elements you’d expect in a heritage luxury watch – like deeply-hued guilloché enamel, hand-engraved gold – with modern touches, including silicon components to prevent the piece from getting magnetised. Essentially, it’s an updated take on the brand’s so-called subscription watches – the first single-hand pocket watches, introduced at the end of the 18th century and purchased with a down payment. “The Tradition line is very much, we believe, artistically speaking, in line with Frieze,” says Lionel a Marca, who has been Breguet’s CEO since August 2021. “It is very modern in appearance although it finds its roots in the past.”
There’s also the new Marine Hora Mundi, a sporty version of a distinctive style that Breguet first introduced in 2011. It’s simultaneously rugged and refined. It’s detailed with an ornate face that depicts a map of the world, complete with oceans depicted in, yes, more guilloché. At 42.9 mm with a deep blue face, it’s a statement watch that’s extremely elegant; it’s also water-resistant up to 100 metres, designed to be set to two time zones, and powered by an in-house movement that was specially adapted to make it sturdier, with sports in mind.
“There are many things going for this watch: guilloché, which is of course an anchor with the past, and then there are the many technical innovations,” a Marca says.
“It’s both present and past,” he adds.
Although it’s bold on the wrist, there’s a subtlety to the Marine Hora Mundi as well, as it underplays some of the brand’s most distinctive details, like flourished Arabic numbers and hands with a hollow circle towards their pointy tip. (Their styles are usually called, not coincidentally, Breguet numerals and Breguet hands – Monsieur Breguet invented those as well, and they’re also used by other companies.)
As Daman points out, “You wouldn’t be able to tell it was a Breguet unless you caught it at a certain angle and you spotted the key markers that said, “Oh, it’s from that house’, but at a casual glance you would think it was a Ulysse Nardin, a Roger Dubuis, or something that’s super contemporary.”
One goal of the timepiece, a Marca says, “is to attract a new type of client, more sports-orientated and possibly younger.”
The brand’s new partnership with Frieze is a three-year alliance that will include commissioned artwork by a different artist each year. The first is Pablo Bronstein, a London-based artist whose work is inspired by archival drawings and heritage architecture. For Frieze New York, he created a 15-metre mural – he describes it as wallpaper – inspired by Breguet’s history.
The collaboration was put into motion by the fair, through its Frieze Studios arm, which helps match-make artists with brands. “Pablo was identified as a really good fit because a lot of his work draws on history,” says Emily Glazebrook, who oversees Frieze’s partnerships, “and with Breguet craftsmanship and their long history is a big part of their identify. They’re putting all of that into a very contemporary environment through Frieze – Pablo helps bridge that gap.”
Even with a footstep into contemporary art – and new watches, including a tourbillon due next month – Breguet’s heritage will always be its most salient distinguishing feature. One of a Marca’s goals for Breguet, he says, is “to explain to the clients who Breguet is and how brilliant and multifaceted he is as a person. Clients are very interested in the history of Breguet despite the fact that they know very little about that history, but they’re eager to learn.”
That history, arguably, is richer than what many highly collectible luxury labels can claim. “There isn’t such a thing as Patek Philippe hands, or Rolex numerals; none of those other brands invented the tourbillon,” says Jeffery Fowler, CEO of the horological website Hodinkee. “If you think of Breguet as a brand and all the things about it that are truly iconic, the list is immense.”
Yet it still feels a bit insider, and that’s part of the appeal for younger collectors. “They want to feel like they’re discovering something, if that can be said about a brand that’s 250ish years old,” Fowler says. “They want to feel that they’re not part of the herd, but rather that they’re out there wearing something unique and different and special.”
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