I have been considering a Breguet (not sure I can pull it off but ..) but just like the Patek's these very high end brands are very hard to rep.
I did some research and I found this to be the best looking dress one around
http://www.prowatch-polo.com/showpic.asp?ArticleID=518
I'm going to venture some of the conclusions of my research. Note that I'm basing this on the web site pictures and my catalogue. Since I could not find a model no. 3863, I'm using the Classique 5947BA/12/9V6 for comparison.
Breguets have several distinctive characteristics: coin-edge cases, guilloché dials, blue pomme hands, the cursive "Breguet" on both sides of the 12 (or 6 o'clock) and the trademark "B" on the crown. Missing those will make for a bad rep. This one has all of those.
Here's a close up of the gen
Comparing with the dimensions in the manual, the dials distance is not that far off. I've read the many Breguet gens were actually made with Lemania movements after they acquired the company in 1991. That did not help the Breguet brand though.
This is my attempt to get the manual schematics overlay on top of the rep.
For the overall dimensions I can't really compare but the manual says 39mm diameter and the rep site says 40mm. The thickness can probably be estimated by the pictures but I just didn't care to do it. Feel free to do it yourself.
The bad comes from the dial. Interesting because that's usually where most reps are very close to the gen. Again I'm not comparing with the rep presumed model number (seems a fantasy number) so don't quote me on this.
There are major flaws on the dial. For starters the gen has a silver dial while the rep is white. However the Guilloché pattern is very close.
At the bottom the gen has a "Rattrapante" where the rep has the model number and the gen has the model number beside the Breguet name at the top. Again, the rep could have come from an older model but can't tell.
While the distance between the dials is not too far off, the size of the dials is. The most noticeable result is the lack of partial roman 3 and 9 o'clock missing.
Also there are major differences all around but the rep may be based on an old dial.
The hands are too short on both sides. The colors however do not seem too far off. Impossible to tell through pictures though.
The crown has the trademark "B" but it's not perfect. The gen has a push pin in the middle of the crown and the rep obviously does not. The chono pushers are too long and wide but still pretty good.
The coin-edge of the gen seems a lot finer then the rep. After buying my first high quality reps I've noticed that all this closeup analysis we do is hardly noticeable in real life, with the watch on your wrist and most people just glancing at it. So I'm not sure how the edge would look in normal conditions.
I have been looking at Breguets for a while and this is the only one I'd consider buying. Still the white dial and the fact I can't possibly afford a Breguet put this one down on the list. Nevertheless, this is one gorgeous rep. Maybe with a custom dial (I doubt we can get a gen dial) and a decent croc strap this can be a super rep. Comments?
Finally, a piece of eye candy for those of you that are Breguet fans. A high res version of the gen.
I hope you've enjoyed it.
I did some research and I found this to be the best looking dress one around
http://www.prowatch-polo.com/showpic.asp?ArticleID=518
I'm going to venture some of the conclusions of my research. Note that I'm basing this on the web site pictures and my catalogue. Since I could not find a model no. 3863, I'm using the Classique 5947BA/12/9V6 for comparison.
Breguets have several distinctive characteristics: coin-edge cases, guilloché dials, blue pomme hands, the cursive "Breguet" on both sides of the 12 (or 6 o'clock) and the trademark "B" on the crown. Missing those will make for a bad rep. This one has all of those.
Here's a close up of the gen
Comparing with the dimensions in the manual, the dials distance is not that far off. I've read the many Breguet gens were actually made with Lemania movements after they acquired the company in 1991. That did not help the Breguet brand though.
This is my attempt to get the manual schematics overlay on top of the rep.
For the overall dimensions I can't really compare but the manual says 39mm diameter and the rep site says 40mm. The thickness can probably be estimated by the pictures but I just didn't care to do it. Feel free to do it yourself.
The bad comes from the dial. Interesting because that's usually where most reps are very close to the gen. Again I'm not comparing with the rep presumed model number (seems a fantasy number) so don't quote me on this.
There are major flaws on the dial. For starters the gen has a silver dial while the rep is white. However the Guilloché pattern is very close.
At the bottom the gen has a "Rattrapante" where the rep has the model number and the gen has the model number beside the Breguet name at the top. Again, the rep could have come from an older model but can't tell.
While the distance between the dials is not too far off, the size of the dials is. The most noticeable result is the lack of partial roman 3 and 9 o'clock missing.
Also there are major differences all around but the rep may be based on an old dial.
The hands are too short on both sides. The colors however do not seem too far off. Impossible to tell through pictures though.
The crown has the trademark "B" but it's not perfect. The gen has a push pin in the middle of the crown and the rep obviously does not. The chono pushers are too long and wide but still pretty good.
The coin-edge of the gen seems a lot finer then the rep. After buying my first high quality reps I've noticed that all this closeup analysis we do is hardly noticeable in real life, with the watch on your wrist and most people just glancing at it. So I'm not sure how the edge would look in normal conditions.
I have been looking at Breguets for a while and this is the only one I'd consider buying. Still the white dial and the fact I can't possibly afford a Breguet put this one down on the list. Nevertheless, this is one gorgeous rep. Maybe with a custom dial (I doubt we can get a gen dial) and a decent croc strap this can be a super rep. Comments?
Finally, a piece of eye candy for those of you that are Breguet fans. A high res version of the gen.
I hope you've enjoyed it.
. Tacky and expensive.
