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Breguet Tourbillon Messidor Manual Wind Mens Watch 5335PT/42/9W6
Ref. 5335PT/42/9W6-30-06-21
The name Messidor reaches back to Abraham-Louis Breguet's original tourbillon patent, granted on the 7th of Messidor in Year IX of the French Revolutionary calendar. Breguet named this reference in direct tribute to that moment, and the design builds the whole dial around its significance: the tourbillon cage is suspended between two sapphire crystals so that it appears to float entirely free of the movement, without any visible mechanical connection to the rest of the watch. At 9.65mm thick, the case sits remarkably flat for a skeletonised tourbillon — complications of this kind tend to accumulate depth, and this one does not. The off-centred hours and minutes sit at the top of the dial, with blued steel Breguet hands and rose gold dot markers set directly into the crystal ring, leaving the lower portion open so the cage remains the focal point at every angle. The 558 SQ2 running beneath it comprises 201 hand-finished components, each edge bevelled individually — work that is visible through the skeleton architecture rather than hidden behind a solid dial.
- Reference
- 5335PT/42/9W6-30-06-21
- Brand
- Breguet
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 9.65mm
- Case material
- White gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Manual
- Calibre
- 558 SQ2
- Functions
- Small seconds, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 50 hours
Learn more about Breguet
Abraham-Louis Breguet opened his workshop on the Quai de l'Horloge in Paris in 1775 and proceeded to invent a substantial portion of modern watchmaking. The tourbillon, patented in 1801, remains his most famous contribution, though the pare-chute shock protection, the self-winding perpétuelle, the gong spring for repeaters, and the first wristwatch — made for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810 — all belong to him.
His aesthetic contributions are equally durable and now generic: guilloché dials engraved by hand, blued steel hands with hollowed moon tips, coin-edge case bands, and the slender Breguet numerals. Watches from unrelated houses still use all of them.
The French Revolution forced Breguet to flee to Switzerland in 1793. He returned two years later to a client list that read as the European establishment — Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, Tsar Alexander I. The Marie Antoinette pocket watch, commissioned in 1783 and finished in 1827 long after both queen and maker were dead, is among the most storied objects in horology.
The company passed through several hands in the twentieth century before Nicolas Hayek acquired it for the Swatch Group in 1999 and invested heavily in restoring its technical standing. The modern Classique and Tradition lines deliberately mine the archive, the latter exposing the movement architecture of Breguet's own subscription watches on the dial side.
- 1775
- Abraham-Louis Breguet opens his Paris workshop.
- 1801
- Patents the tourbillon.
- 1810
- Delivers the first known wristwatch, for the Queen of Naples.
- 1827
- The Marie Antoinette pocket watch is completed.
- 1999
- Acquired by the Swatch Group under Nicolas Hayek.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Leather Strap Watches (825), Silver Dial Watches (576), Dress Watches (420), Skeleton Watches (212), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (199) and Solid Gold Watches (90).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Compare alternatives
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| Specification | 5335PT/42/9W6-30-06-21 | 405.035 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £99,995 | £80,000 |
| Case size | 40mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m |
| Movement | Manual | Manual |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 50 hours | 60 hours |
| This watch |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is hand-wound, so it needs winding every day or two but never a battery.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 50 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £99,995, pre-owned. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.
Is this available new?
Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as pre-owned only, at £99,995 from Mappin & Webb. A pre-owned watch has been worn, and is normally sold under the retailer’s own warranty rather than the manufacturer’s.
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