[argee1977]

Handmade is an interesting topic, there are differing levels, such as some will have it produced by a machine, then hand finish and call it handmade, others will state that it's handmade because it was machined by a watchmaker. In reality handmade should mean just that, completely made by hand and no watch dial or movement can be done that way, so i'd say that the Breguet dial being handmade is as good as you'll get and the same level of workmanship as other top end companies.

Going back to Breguet, yes they are no longer the same company that were commissioned to build watches for that list of clients, but in this day and age there are not many companies who are. The main thing is that Swatch, who now own Breguet have kept up the tradition, they have given the Breguet brand the resources and ability to produce watches to the standard that we expect of the name.

The reason Breguet aren't up there with the 'trinity' is simple, at the time of the trinity coming into being, Breguet were in quite a mess, they were basically just the name, the previous company had all but died and the name was all that was really left, but as stated, Swatch have taken that and built on it, it's the same with a few companies, Vacheron Constantin are no longer the same company they used to be, there is no link anymore with their founders, they are owned by Richemont but they still produce watches of the highest quality. Jaeger-LeCoultre are again wholly owned by Richemont, before that they were mostly owned by Audemars Piguet, but they still produce top quality and are in my opinion one of the best movement manufacturers in the world. Panerai as well, a company that was just a name again have been turned into one of the best brands in the watch world, the watches being produced now are even higher quality than when they were the original company, so change and progression isn't always bad.