On June 26, 1801, a momentous horological event occurred when Abraham-Louis Breguet was issued a patent for his tourbillon regulator. The history of time has always centered on precision timekeeping, and watchmakers over the centuries have developed means to combat the multitude of factors affecting it, including temperature and magnetism, position and gravity. Breguet sought to minimize gravity’s effects when he observed it greatly influenced the delicate workings of the heart of the watch, the escapement. The tourbillon is a rotating cage within which the escapement is mounted. As it rotates, the positional errors of the movement are averaged out improving the overall precision of the watch. While the patent was issued in 1801, it was not until 1805 that commercialized examples became available, and it has remained over the last 200 years very much the same as when Breguet first revealed it.

One hundred and ninety years later, Breguet’s modern descendants introduced the reference 3350, available in pink, yellow, and white gold. Classically Breguet, the semi-skeletonized dial is wrought from solid silver and hand-guillochéd. The ornate engraving that acts as a backdrop to the tourbillon cage is intricately and meticulously hand-done as well, and is carried over to the finishing on the movement. These details, as well as the Nouvelle Lemania ebauche are the trademarks of Daniel Roth, who was at the time the Master Watchmaker of Breguet working tirelessly to reinvigorate the brand. These timepieces bear the DNA seen later on Roth’s eponymous pieces.

An early example with a warm tone to the dial, and preserved in excellent condition, this Tourbillon Messidor embodies the spirit of traditional watchmaking while giving a nod towards what the future would bring – the rise of the independents.