I was with the people who run Breguet in America a few days ago and one of them asked me, “what Breguet would you want to wear right now?” That is a tough question when it comes to a brand like Breguet. Do I go with a beautiful and simple watch from the Classique collection that is meant to remind you of Breguet’s strong past? Or perhaps follow my love of sport watches and choose a Type XXI that everyone seems to love? If someone else is buying (which they clearly are in this scenario) why not go for broke and opt for a complex tourbillon in the Tradition collection? Somewhere in the middle of all this is the Ref. 7277, a newer model in the Classique collection that I find myself raving about for the second time.

Breguet officially launched the Classique Chronometrie ref. 7727 watch in 2012 and we have a full hands-on look with video (here). That was at Baselworld 2012 and we really liked it then. At Baselworld 2013 the 7727 was back, with a minor change on the dial, and available in both 18k rose gold and 18k white gold cases. What was different on the dial? Well everyone seemed to love the watch but really didn’t like the “10Hz” text on the dial being printed in red. So Breguet redesigned it to be in a gray color that blends in with the guilloche engraved dial. Better now? I honestly didn’t mind it being in red because I thought the label helped define the watch as a unique mixture of the past and present. Is it more elegant with the gray text? Yes. Problem solved everyone?

There isn’t any point just reiterating what we said last year about the Breguet 7727 once again. Though our pictures are better this time around. It is interesting on a personal level to see how my photography continues to improve as I test new equipment and techniques to take pictures of watches. In a studio setting it can be tricky to capture watches properly, but at trade shows where time, lighting, and space are limited, I take it as a real triumph when things go well. At the same time, we keep learning and investing in new things to perfect the process. We feel that sharing with people, a life-like vision of the watches they want to see, is important. Artsy images are great, but for us it is important to convey a real sense of what watches look like in the real world to the aBlogtoWatch audience.

If you like the classic, iconic look of Breguet then you’ll feel very warm wearing the 7727. The 41mm wide case is 100% Breguet DNA with its coined (fluted) siding, and simple lugs. As I’ve said in the past, the 7727 is actually quite thin. It is 9.65mm thick, but I swear it feels thinner. With a thin bezel, that width and thickness made for a really well-wearing watch. Breguet Classique watches can be on the smaller side, so this 41mm wide size is great in my opinion.