Following a whirlwind year of releases for Breguet’s 250th anniversary in 2025, this year’s recent updates to the collection play it a little safer, with some enamel-focused changes to the brand’s iconic Tradition series of watches. The fan favorites, I’m sure, are the 38mm Tradition Seconde Rétrograde models. But when I had a chance to check out some of the novelties a few weeks ago, it was actually the larger, 40mm Tradition GMT that caught my eye. Priced at $82,900, the Tradition GMT is very much a seriously priced contender in the haute horlogerie arena. But one look at the watch shows off so much of what makes it special, and most importantly, it’s unabashedly Breguet. Add in the visual update of this current generation, and I think it’s the best version I’ve seen yet.
Much of what makes this version stand out is the main subdial at 12 o’clock. It’s not every day that Breguet opts for a shade of green in the series—in fact, it’s the first time in the Tradition line, as blues, blacks, golds, and greys seem to define much of the older collection. The execution of the gradient green-to-black grand feu enamel dial in this model is absolutely sublime. Enameling is one of the strengths I associate with Breguet’s in-house capabilities, and here it’s done very well, with a pleasant shade of forest green shifting to the dark black perimeter, all executed and fired by hand. While the Breguet logo and other dial markings are printed in a metallic silver finish for legibility, a very subtle Breguet signature is embossed into the dial above six o’clock. Speaking of dial markings, the minute track features whimsical markings that seem to be taken straight out of the Wingdings playbook. It’s a little touch that doesn’t diminish the overall look of the watch, but is a nice little treat for a loupe. Complementing the overall asymmetry of the front are the two dial frame screws at 10 and 4 o’clock. Here, it works amongst the sea of components everywhere else.
Most importantly to me, this is a Breguet Tradition that has Breguet numerals. Stylistically, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to see on the Tradition rather than Roman numerals, and here we finally have it in the standard catalog. Breguet has also revealed that it will offer an option with “Oriental numerals” on the home time subdial, rendered as Eastern Arabic numerals in homage to Breguet’s earlier offerings to clients in the Ottoman Empire. It’s not region-limited, however, so any Breguet client could theoretically place a special order for this variant.
As this is a GMT watch after all, the main green enamel dial indicates local time. A subdial to the bottom left, in the form of a black engine-turned open dial with silver printing, serves as the home time. Right above it is a subtly small monochromatic AM/PM indicator for that home time. These indications aside, the front of the Tradition GMT is filled out with the balance (complete with a silicon Breguet balance spring) and escapement on full display, along with the gear train and barrel. Another spectacular aesthetic touch here is the engine-turned decoration of the barrel, ever so subtly sitting behind most of the components. Together with the enamel dial, you have Breguet’s biggest decorative strengths here. A pusher sits near the top-left lug to change the local time in one-hour increments.
All of this sits in a hefty 40mm platinum case, with a thickness of 12.1mm. Due to the welded lug design, the lug-to-lug feels quite long on these models, which is why the smaller 38mm Traditions seem to always hold more favor with collectors. On the wrist, the long lugs and weight of the platinum case make for a very imposing look, especially on smaller wrists. The removal of screw-bars for the lugs and strap might seem like the disappearance of a Tradition quirk, but I think it’s a significantly better move for owners, as traditional spring bars are much easier to swap straps without the worry of damage to the screws showing on the outside of the lugs. This also means that the new rubber strap delivered with the Tradition GMT features quick-release spring bars.
The pusher for adjusting the GMT complication.
At this point in a hands-on, this is usually the part where I say something along the lines of “…flip this watch around, and the complexity of the caliber is finally revealed…” but here, that’s not quite the case. The Breguet Tradition design, an homage to Abraham-Louis Breguet’s Souscription pocket watches with such a layout, leaves nothing to the imagination on the front of the watch. As such, the 40 millimeters of space on the back seem quite sparse in comparison, with a few black PVD-coated bridges holding pivot jewels. The only indication on the back is the pointer for the 50-hour power reserve.
With a green dial and a majority of this Caliber 507DRF coated in black PVD, this new Tradition is certainly a very contemporary entry in a line so distinctive in its heritage. It finds itself in the middle ground between the modern design language we’re seeing cultivated with some of Breguet’s experimental watches and the heritage that flows through so many of the brand’s designs. Though it might seem counterintuitive, the architecture of the Tradition design does well to keep the line’s feel timeless, and I do think it’s aged quite well in the context of contemporary high-end watchmaking. With all of the refreshed designs this year, I think the line continues to adapt to modern tastes while keeping that unmistakable Breguet identity.
