Revival of Breva Geneve with Segreto di Lario Retrograde Power Reserve Watch

Breva Geneve is an independent watch brand that was founded in 2010 with a flurry of excitement and activity including a GPHG nominationin 2013 for the Genie 01. Sadly, the brand wound down operations after only a handful of limited releases leaving us to wonder if their haute horology creations would ever make a return. Short answer, yes! Breva are back with their revival launch, the Segreto di Lario, a visually impressive timepiece with a dual retrograde power reserve indicator.

Starting with the case, the Breva Segreto di Lario is a prime example of classical dress watch design with some retro flair. It measures 41mm in diameter in rose gold with an angular cushion shape that makes if feel right out of the early 20^th century. Despite its fairly broad proportions, emphasised by the cushion shape, it remains quite svelte with a thickness of just 11.1mm. It’s also stylishly finished with circular brushing across the watch’s shoulders and polished lugs.

However, what really makes the watch stand out is the display on the dial. At six o’clock is an intriguing array of crossed hands, like fencers’ blades meeting in gentlemanly combat. This is actually the dual retrograde power reserve indicator. On the left is the days power reserve indicator showing six out of the seven days of the Segreto di Lario’s power reserve. The reason it only shows six days is that the second power reserve indicator on the right is a 24-hour scale that shows only the final day of the reserve. In a manual-winding watch it essentially means if you see the 24-hour hand moving, you should wind the watch pretty sharpish.

In the centre of the dial are the hands for hours and minutes, which point to a peripheral 60-minute scale in a traditional style. Below 12 o’clock is a retrograde seconds counter. Retrograde counters, if you’re unfamiliar, are a style of watch scale with a hand that follows a linear path. Meaning that instead of being an infinite circle, the hand follows from one end to the other before jumping back to the start.

As for style, it’s very elegant like the case but there’s also a modern, quasi-industrial quality to it. The dial is split into two sections with the bottom-most section below the power reserve showing a sliver of the exposed movement with Côte de Genève finishing. Above that, and held in place by exposed screws, is a blue plate with vertical brushed finishing.

It gives the piece quite a maritime aesthetic, reminiscent of the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur. It makes you want to take a cruise on an alpine lake, which is half the point because the name Breva is a reference to the warm breeze found on Lake Como. Though with only 50m water resistance, you’ll want to keep the Segreto di Lario away from too much spray.

The movement beneath the dial is a specially adapted version of the Chronode C101 developed for Breva by Chronode’s prestigious watchmaker Jean-François Mojon. It was he who developed the dual retrograde power reserve indicator complication and how it works is perhaps best explained in his own words: “The power reserve indication from the base movement is split into two kinematic chains, each carrying a dedicated cam. Two rake feelers, one per cam, transmit the information to each hand, and two hairsprings maintain tension to ensure constant contact between the cam and feeler. This original 7-day power reserve reading is both intuitive and precise”.

While the launch of the Segreto di Lario is a new start for Breva, they want to retain the exclusivity and class of the originals. Which means it’s a limited edition of just 25 pieces at a price of CHF 58,000 excl. taxes (approx. £51,000). It was also announced as a soucription model, meaning that collectors are able to reserve the watches ahead of production in order to help alleviate some manufacturing costs.

More details at Breva.

​Oracle Time 

Read More