Breguet Classique Grande Complication Yellow Gold — Five-Day Tourbillon Reserve | Ref. 5317BA/12/AV0

Among the most venerable complications in the horological canon, the tourbillon was patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself in 1801 — a mechanism conceived to neutralise the deleterious effects of gravity on a pocket watch movement. Ref. 5317BA/12/AV0 carries that heritage into the present with the full authority of the Classique collection: a 39 mm case in 18-carat yellow gold, refined to 11.15 mm in thickness, with a sapphire exhibition caseback that frames the extraordinary calibre 587DR within.

The silvered gold dial is a study in restrained grandeur. A five-day power-reserve indicator occupies the upper register, its arc subtly engraved and lacquered in the tradition of Breguet's guilloché artisans, while the running-seconds subdial is mounted directly on the tourbillon shaft — an elegant fusion of function and spectacle. Breguet numerals, those distinctive open-tipped figures that Abraham-Louis pioneered in the late eighteenth century, anchor the composition with unmistakable authority. The self-winding calibre 587DR delivers a remarkable 120-hour power reserve, a testament to the maison's mastery of mainspring geometry and gear-train efficiency.

Completing the ensemble, an 18-carat yellow gold bracelet echoes the warmth of the case, lending the watch a coherent, opulent presence on the wrist. Water resistance is rated to 30 metres, appropriate to a grande complication of this refinement. Priced at $112,795, the 5317BA/12/AV0 represents one of the most technically accomplished expressions of the Classique philosophy — a living testament to the inventor who, quite literally, changed the course of watchmaking history.