Breguet Classique 5140 yellow gold grand feu enamel dial automatic 40 mm Full Set 2009

"Classique" collection: legible, precise and with a refined aesthetic.

Breguet art and style have stood the test of time. Today, the Classique collection is its quintessence. Bringing together the distinctive hallmarks so typical of the Maison, it offers a sleek, timeless design. From extra-flat models to complications, the Classiques faithfully reflect the technical rules, the art of watchmaking and the traditional values of the Breguet brand. The timepieces in the Classique line are a true sublimation of Breguet's past and attributes. For some models, the noble materials used at the time - "grand feu" enamel dials, hand-painted Arabic numerals - will enchant the greatest collectors and lovers of the brand.

Reference 5140: the perfect Breguet DNA

This Breguet Classique 5140 is very traditional and a beautiful dressy wristwatch. It features a sleek dial and ultra-thin automatic movement.

Its 18-carat yellow gold case measures 40mm in diameter with a slim profile. It is fully polished and features long, parallel welded lugs, a Breguet trademark! An essential part of the brand's heritage, the case is fluted. In his day, Abraham-Louis Breguet came up with the idea to add texture to the sides of watches, to minimize the risk of them slipping out of hand. At the same time, these guilloché patterns proved highly effective in preventing possible fingerprints.

This Classique 5140 also features an authentic baked enamel dial and flame-blued steel hands. This is a subtle historical detail, because in Breguet's day, when watches were devoid of complications, they were often in white enamel. As the fine guilloché engraving served not only to adorn the face, but also to delineate the zones assigned to complications, enamel dials were not generally found in watches that offered additional functions to the simple display of time. On this particular model, we can appreciate a two-level enamel, with a hollow for the off-center small seconds.

This model with its enamel dial features Arabic numerals representative of true craftsmanship, which are universally known as "Breguet". Hand-painted, this slightly slanted script, neither square nor cursive, is at once subtly whimsical and resolutely determined.

Finally, one last "Breguet" detail: the hands! These are flame-blued, with a delicate sphere eccentric to the tip and hollowed out.

The caliber

Hiding through its solid gold caseback is an ultra-thin 2.4 mm automatic caliber! Its special feature? It features an off-center rotor. Connoisseurs will immediately recognize the Frederic Piguet 71 caliber, but this 502.3SD version has undergone a number of modifications! Firstly, the frequency has been increased from 2.5 to 3 Hz, for greater precision. The gear train and barrel have also been completely overhauled, with the addition of a free-inertia balance and a non-magnetic silicon balance spring. This revised assembly delivers excellent chronometric results and has greatly enhanced the quality of the movement. And it perfectly matches the visionary spirit of its creator!

The package

Breguet offers us with this Classique "Ultra-Thin" a watch with "vintage" and traditional design and codes of fine Watchmaking. In our opinion, this 5140 is one of the most attractive "dresswatch" models produced by the Manufacture. This reference boasts all the brand's aesthetic codes: grand feu enamel dial with painted "Breguet" numerals, blued "pomme évidée" hands, "off-center" display and fluted case.

This 5140BA is in very good condition and comes with its case and certificate of origin. It is dressed in a brown leather strap with a gold Breguet pin buckle. Like all the watches presented on 10h10, this Breguet has been tested and authenticated by our watchmakers. As such, it benefits from Lepage 10h10's one-year warranty.