Breguet appears to be struggling to live up to its reputation as one of the oldest and most iconic Swiss watch brands, but the brand hit the ball out of the park back in 2005 with the launch of the Tradition collection. I was a fan then and and still a Tradition fan now.

Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

I have zero fashion sense, but one combination of colors that works every time is red gold case with blue enamel dial. You might not like the brand, the model, the complications, and even the strap, but most are likely to think the colors really work well together.

And (naturally), for the red gold case and blue enamel dial, Breguet haven’t simply used red gold and blue enamel, but ‘Breguet Gold’ and ‘Breguet Blue’.

To be honest, I don’t really need the retrograde seconds on this Tradition Seconde Rétrograde, but they are a burden I’m willing to carry, for the pleasure of strapping this nicely-sized 38 mm beauty on my wrist.

From the press release:

With a unique architecture that brings its precision mechanism to the fore, crowned by a hand-made, enamel dial, the Tradition 7035 epitomises Breguet’s 250 years of technical and aesthetic innovation.

Breguet gold, an exclusive alloy presented for Breguet’s 250th anniversary, now enriches the case of the Tradition 7035. This special edition emphasises the unique architecture of the movement, and features a guilloché dial in translucent blue, grand feu enamel displaying the hours and minutes, alongside a retrograde seconds display discreetly positioned between 10 and 11 o’clock.

Tradition 7035, respecting savoir-faire

Specially designed for Breguet’s 250th anniversary, this variation of the Tradition 7037 remains faithful to the Tradition collection’s geometric codes, combining Breguet’s technical and aesthetic expertise with meticulous in-house hand-finishing.

Breguet gold and Breguet blue: two “signature” colour codes

The Tradition collection incorporates for the first time two “in-house” colour codes: Breguet gold and Breguet blue.

Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

Gold, silver, copper and palladium are skilfully fused into an alloy that radiates a warm, golden glow: Breguet gold. This exclusive alloy, created by Breguet, was introduced earlier this year with the Classique Souscription 2025 watch. The 38 mm diameter case for the Tradition 7035 has been crafted from this new alloy.

A specially-developed plating treatment ensures that the mainplate and bridges are of the same hue as the case.

The silver-coloured gears, blued screws and ruby-red jewels provide visual contrast and further accentuate the radiance of Breguet gold. The bridges of this new anniversary model feature, for the first time in the Tradition collection, a silky, hand-applied satin finish on their upper surfaces.

Stunning blue enamel guilloche dial of the Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

The striking focal point of this model is the finely engine-turned dial, resplendent in Breguet blue. The chosen motive is the Quai de l’Horloge. Its tinted, translucent, grand feu enamel is of the same deep, blue as the retrograde seconds hand and screws, which are made of blued steel.

In contrasting silver, the Breguet Arabic numerals, the minute track, with its stylised fleurs-de-lis, and the unique serial number at 4 o’clock stand out effortlessly against the shimmering azure of the enamel.

Quai de l’Horloge: a unique guilloché decoration

A decorative technique that was often used on watch cases, guilloché has become an art in its own right. A.-L. Breguet was the first to use this technique to delineate the different displays on watch dials, and it remains, to this day, one of Breguet’s core areas of expertise.

Breguet currently owns the largest collection of working guilloché lathes in the world. These carefully renovated period machines can be used to create a wide range of motifs, from the most traditional, such as the Clou de Paris, to the most contemporary, the new Quai de l’Horloge design, which has been incorporated on the dial of this Tradition model.

Guilloching the dial of the Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

This new guilloché motif was inspired by the graceful lines of the Seine as it flows around the Île de la Cité, where A.-L. Breguet’s workshop once stood, and the Île Saint-Louis, both in the heart of Paris. The precise contours of this motif are modelled on the Turgot map, a highly-detailed, perspective view of the city of Paris produced in the eighteenth century.

For its time it was remarkably accurate: it included all the streets, buildings and even every tree in the centre of Paris.

Crescent moon-shaped oscillating weight: a tribute to watchmaking genius

The back of the new Tradition 7035 reveals a golden landscape as fascinating as the front. The oscillating weight spins above the bridges’ satin-finished surfaces, which provide an elegant contrast to the shot-blasted mainplate below.

Back of the Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

The crescent moon-shaped weight, made of vertical brushed platinum, is reminiscent of those used in A.-L. Breguet’s time. He established the use of platinum in watchmaking, using it to optimise the automatic winding of what he referred to as his “perpétuelle” watches, one of the first innovations from this master watchmaker.

Movement of the Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

A discrete “Pt950” engraved on the weight’s upper left-hand flank acts as a reassuring gauge of quality, as well as a knowing nod to Breguet’s patrimony.

Emmanuel Breguet, Head of Patrimony at Breguet explains, “The first appearance of this oscillating weight in Breguet’s work dates back to his first automatic watches, known as “Perpetuelles”, which brought him to the attention of the French court as early as 1780. An eloquent example can be found in the N°160 watch designed for Queen Marie-Antoinette. What was needed was a sufficiently efficient oscillating element to ensure the winding of a movement comprising hundreds of components and an exceptional number of complications. At the same time, Breguet wanted winding to take place naturally, simply by the body’s natural movements; his automatic watches did not need to be “shaken” at all, they simply needed to be worn naturally.”

Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6

For more information, please visit www.breguet.com/en/watches/tradition/tradition-seconde-retrograde-7035/7035bhh29v6

Quick facts: Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BH/H2/9V6
Features: Tradition 7035, 505SR calibre with automatic winding, 3 Hz and 50-hour power reserve, shot-blasted, 38 mm-diameter case, fluted case middle, 18K Breguet gold guilloché dial with translucent blue grand feu enamel, Breguet Arabic numerals, minute track with stylised fleurs-de-lis, Breguet hour and minute hands with hollowed knobs in 18K Breguet gold, retrograde baton-type seconds hand in blued steel, alligator strap and buckle in 18K Breguet gold. Limited edition of 250 pieces.
Case: 18K Breguet gold
Dimensions: 38 mm in diameter  12.6 mm thick
Fluted case middle
Glass engraved “BREGUET 250 YEARS”, single anti-reflective inside
Spherical glass with double anti-reflective coatingScrewed/welded lugs
3 bar (30 m) water-resistance
Dial: Off-centred at 12 o’clock in 18K Breguet gold, translucent blue, grand feu enamel, hand-guilloché Quai de l’Horloge motif
Breguet Arabic numerals, stylised fleur-de-lys minute track
Breguet hour and minute open-tipped hands in 18K Breguet gold
Retrograde seconds hand in blued steel
Limitation: 250 pieces
Price: 50,400- euros (including taxes)

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The Retrograde: One of My Favorite Complications