An unabashedly feminine timepiece that is equal parts style and substance.

When it comes to women’s timepieces, perhaps no other watchmakers can claim to have a legacy as rich and storied as Breguet’s. Famously, it created the world’s first wristwatch for Caroline Murat, then queen of Naples, in 1810 and the No. 160 ‘The Grand Complication’ pocket watch, which was commissioned for Marie-Antionette in 1783. Not one to patronise its modern female clientele with quartz-powered wallflowers, Breguet is one of the rare few watch marques offering them only fine mechanical watches that are exquisitely executed inside and out, such as the new interpretation of its Classique Dame 8068.

Available in 18K white or rose gold, the Classique Dame 8068 is a resolutely contemporary creation, thanks to a slew of design updates, the chief of which is a rapid interchange system. This mechanism allows the wearer to switch from one strap to another by simply pressing a pusher located under the strap to release and replace in a matter of seconds. And for the first time in Breguet’s collections, each watch comes in a boxed set with three straps, each fitted with a gold buckle. Both versions come with a black satin fabric strap, with additional teal blue and Byzantium purple alligator leather ones for the white gold version, and peacock blue and raspberry pink straps for the rose gold model.

Previously capped with a blue sapphire, the Classique Dame 8068’s crown has also been updated with a cabochon-cut diamond to better complement the 64 brilliant-cut diamonds adorning the bezel and lugs of the 30mm case. In addition, its mother-of-pearl dial has been reworked with Breguet’s signature Arabic numerals and a delicate oval-shaped cartouche bearing the brand’s logo, conferring the watch with a softer and lighter aesthetic.

That said, the watch remains firmly rooted in the design codes of the Classique family, which pays tribute to the neoclassical style that Abraham-Louis Breguet established in watchmaking when he founded the company in 1775. Besides the aforementioned numerals, other brand signatures here include the open-tipped hands, fluted caseband, and guilloché pattern. The latter adorns the watch’s dial, handcrafted by the Manufacture’s artisans using a historical rose engine lathe.

More refined decorations can be found when one flips the Classique Dame 8068 over. Visible via a sapphire crystal caseback, the self-winding Calibre 537/3 flaunts a platinum oscillating weight that is hand-engraved with a circular barleycorn pattern. Elsewhere, refined finishings, such as chamfering and Côtes de Genève motif, can also be seen embellishing the components of this rhodium-plated movement. Boasting a 45-hour power reserve, the in-house calibre is equipped with an in-line Swiss lever escapement and balance spring in silicon, which is resistant to corrosion, wear, and magnetic fields, thereby improving the watch’s chronometric precision.

The Classique Dame 8068 is a fine example proving that feminine timepieces can embody both style and substance. From employing components in an avant-garde material to incorporating a quick strap-change mechanism, Breguet is sparing no effort in creating a timepiece that discerning female watch lovers truly deserve.

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