COLOUR ME BLUE

There was a time when the colour blue was a sign of diving watches. Not anymore. Azure dials are common across all categories of watches, more so this year, with most brands having taken a liking to the colour. Here are a few of the best-looking ones

BREGUET TRADITION AUTOMATIQUE SECONDE RÉTROGRADE 7097

This new watch from the Tradition collection, which was launched in 2005, is a tribute to the calibres of the simple subscription and tact pocket watches of the 18th and 19th centuries. The components of the movement like bridges, wheels, escapement, barrel, which otherwise are usually hidden beneath the main plate, are revealed in the open in this watch. The bridges and mainplate are decorated to achieve a uniform, finely grained surface. The gold winding rotor borrows its shape from historical movements, while the classic colors de Paris (hobnailing) guilloche pattern, executed by hand, highlights the blue dial in gold, positioned off-center at 12 o'clock. The timepiece gets its name from the retrograde second's hand at 10 o'clock. The hours and minutes are shown by Breguet-style open-tipped hands, in rhodium-plated steel. The semicircle, with a circular brushed finish superimposed on the dial, provides readability and highlights the retrograde seconds’ complication. The parechute, a Breguet invention, which protects the balance staff from shocks, and is emblematic of the Tradition collection, is located at 4 o'clock. The 40mm case is in 18K white gold, with a sapphire-crystal caseback. The self-winding movement provides a power reserve of 50 hours.