Where in my post did I say I own one? As a fan of the brand I have several watches which pay homage to the Breguet aesthetic, but I don't own any Breguet watches from any period. As a piece of history I admire your chronograph.

 

As others have mentioned, I believe Breguet is so unpopular because they really specialize in extremely classical pieces when the market these days clearly prefers sports watches above all else.

Which is a shame because the Breguet dress pieces are beautiful!

 

Very nice question!!

In my opinion Breguet is an amazing brand and they produce some of the most beautiful & impressive timepieces in the High-end watch making industry, said that, their design is very classical and recognisable and it is not definitely for every one...

The issue with this exponential explosion of watch communities is that some of the people that like to call themselves "watch Enthusiast" are buying the watch just to show off, and you need to love watches to be impressed by a Breguet (simply because you know about them and you know the quality of finishing, movements, dial, details, etc..).

A lot of people are buying Rolex and Omega because they will not be able to impress their friends or their Tinder date with a Breguet because they will not know them. Of course this is just my opinion, but working in the industry, i sadly realise that most of the people are spending a lot of money in a watch just because they wants the status (so it must be recognised by the biggest number of people).

If you are wearing a Breguet, like a Blancpain or a Glashutte Original, you don't need the reassurance of your status, you are much more refine and you definitely know and love watches for what they really are!!

By the way, Fantastic timepiece!!

 

Is it a definitive rule that Breguet dials marked "swiss" are stamped, and only those marked "swiss guilloche main" are engine turned? I ask because I've noticed some 3237s marked with the former, and others with the latter, and they were made during the same period.

 

Breguet is a great brand. The forums are filled with sport watch enthusiasts. Breguet has many sophisticated complication and dress watches but the type XX XXI are the only sports watch enthusiasts are aware of. I do appreciate the design and uniqueness of their pieces, but not enough instagram posts for the masses to follow.

 

Breguet is my favorite brand (Omega second) even though I have only one Classique 5177 in rose gold so far. Given their price range and production levels (18,000 watches in 2020 versus 810,000 for Rolex and 500,000 for Omega) they will never be as popular as the more mass market brands but that is partly why I like them so much. I go to an event and see 10 Rolex Daytonas and Subs without even trying and usually zero other Breguets. The only downside is that they are no longer independently owned.

 

My Type XX Aeronavale arrives tomorrow. As a partially French pilot, this was an essential pick up.

 

fair few arguments scattered through the thread that are probably easy to rebuff but too numerous to approach.

i’d say there’s plenty of interest, it’s just not necessarily visible or occurring online, where young or tech-comfortable folk hang out. the routes into knowledge on watches can be too dominated by sites hoping for a quicker and easier draw of an audience, and distract from numerous (hundreds of?) companies. healthier to stay away, see what’s out there via searching images for design cues that appeal, obscure references, lesser known makers, and see what fits a budget with what appears for sale.

the company has been around for such a long time, it’s proven worthwhile continuing or saving before. i’d say the level of influence visible elsewhere shows the styling that’s dominates it’s history has its appeal. they do have some lesser-known instances of things outside that look.

https://www.phillips.com/detail/breguet/CH080117/50

perhaps dress watches are far more commonplace and dominant through watch history, and the sports look seems to appear early 70s? tool watches bled into fashion options, plus sports and bigger / showier watches go down well in america as well. breguet seems largely in the carriage clock look, which perhaps should be outdated but feels classical and i can understand why it may not appeal - if you’re spending out large sums on watches and hoping to impress with something widely known, i think you’re missing an opportunity to go somewhere very few people do by getting something that appeals which few can get hold of … rather than the kind of mass-produced end of high end watches like the royal oak arguably is.

 

So many assumptions. You really sound snobby and rather defensive.

Breguet is no entry level brand, so the prices aren't entry level either. Most people can't afford these watches, maintenance is expensive as well. Just to get in you need 10k euro/12k usd (even if they give you a discount). The XX etc. is a nice watch but it's big, so for example, I wouldn't be able to wear it.

A lot of other pieces they make are rather classic in style and design, so it's obvious which crowd they are catering to. I really like the blue 5177 but I wish it didn't have a date window, I wish the lugs were better shaped (too long/straight/stiff looking) and that it was perhaps 36mm instead of 38mm.

It's like complaining ''why is no one buying Vacheron Constantin'' perhaps because +98 percent of their watches start at 20.000 euro. The cheapest VC is the fiftysix at 12.3k euro. All the others start at 20k euro.

So go figure why people are buying an Omega which only costs them 5k.

https://www.vacheron-constantin.com/en/watches/man.html#filters=under-20000&tab=0

 

well, the question posed is one requesting discussion, argument, defence … and so i tried.

i think we might assume which crowd it caters to, but as most into watches can’t afford most of them easily and frequently, i think there’s an argument to be said that they’re not simply to nobody’s taste, it’s more likely this than like they are in a group that don’t need, want or can’t find the energy or inclination to be a part of the crowd / hobby that’s online.

i’m well aware of the prices. i’ve not pointed to this maker being better than all others, but i would say i’ve tried to give some context to the view that there are limiting factors in why people find any interest - let alone if they buy them. i can find hundreds of expensive makers, a good 50% are perhaps 18th - 19th century makers with a past / sometime present in clocks. something like APs royal oak, dominant (outside of rolex) in online coverage, is made in relatively huge numbers and sold as similar (and higher) prices. if you discount people following social media trends, there’s lots of places to find suitable / preferable / personal choices.

odd that tastes converge now, when for so many decades or centuries these companies have existed, often alongside each other. this is a subset of (wealthy) watch buyers who know few options and don’t make the most of the opportunity to find stuff that suits their own choice. that’s not snobbery, it’s reasoned suggestion that there’s people buying other stuff that aren’t visible or out to show their wealth off so obviously to others.

lots of relative bargains to be had in vintage watches. for 25 years i’ve had an accutron spaceview. my interest in that watch predates the rise in online use, so i saw it and bought it without prior knowledge. i am now building a sense of what’s out there from the ground up, avoiding settling for the most obvious things, and trying to see what i like in watch design aspects. it’s a case of sending what i like and can buy. i like breguet, can’t buy it. interested in why it’s comparable in price to many makers but not so frequently chosen, as the thread suggests.

 

This is a 7147 which I don’t own but someday, someday…

 

I think Breguet is plenty popular with the demographic they target. Coincidentally, that demographic does not typically take 4-watch wrist shots for forums or IG

 

"It's like complaining ''why is no one buying Vacheron Constantin'' perhaps because +98 percent of their watches start at 20.000 euro"
good point !!

 

correction, VC sold one watch for sure
Get an avatar and stick around @Wahlberg.

I don’t disagree with this.
Breguet is a watch for yourself.

 

So many people are buying the blue dial VC OS there is now a wait list for it too!

 

Erm they just look unattractive to me. Wouldn't even need to look at the price tag.

 

This is something of an interesting question considering that Breguet himself gave us the Tourbillion and Breguet hands to name two. It comes down to the old adage "form following the function" or something like that. Sure Richard Mille puts ridiculous quadruple tourbillions or whatever in is horrendous and way overpriced children's toys but beyond the form, there is no actual function for a tourbillion no matter how many you smash together with multicolored play doe. Think about the top 5 hottest watches out there right now and what do they all have in common. If we're thinking the same 5 then all of them are stainless steel sports models, not a tourbillion insight. Breguet, and this is the real shame, is part of the Swatch group, and leading that pack is Omega. To be honest, if Breguet had not built some of the most creative and complicated watches over the past 250 years the Swatch group would have dumped them or merged them with another manufacture making similar watches. I was perusing a JLC catalog one day and gawking at all the perpetual calendars, and Tourbillions, and moon phases. I closed the book and realized I was actually looking at an IWC catalog ( ok this didn't happen but it could have ). Besides the Reverso, both catalogs had almost the exact inventory. As all the watch enthusiasts who are spending three life savings on an SS sports model get older, their tastes will change and hopefully, we will see Breguet on top again where it belongs.

 

very interesting thread
i myself was quite interested in Classique line back in 2014, almost purchasing the retrograde one, but then my attention has somehow been with several other brands and ended up owning no Breguet as of today. I am still love almost all the Classique lines big time.

 

Great thread.
I'll add a question to this thread:

If Breguet was an independent family owned company (like Patek, AP etc), do you think the perception of Breguet as a brand would be more appealing?

IMO Breguet "lost it" by being part of a group but trying to monetize like Patek...