A Tale as Old as Time: Breguet Celebrates its Semiquincentennial in “Classique Souscription” Fashion

While some of us are still coming to grips with the fact that we are twenty-five years into the 2000s, there is something to be said about the year 2025. For one, it is a “perfect square” year (that one was for the math nerds). To simplify what I just wrote, forty-five squared equals 2025.

For another, 2025 is also the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution.

However, in the horological community, we know 2025 to be the 250th anniversary of the watch brand that introduced the tourbillon to the world: Breguet.

Founded in 1775 by Swiss-born clock and watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, the Breguet brand has no shortage of historical significance, be it watch history or, you know, history. (I mean, his grandson was a French physicist whose name is etched into the Eiffel Tower. So, yeah, this family was pretty important in their day.)
 

From being colleagues with the great English watchmaker John Arnold to befriending and partnering with Louis Moinet to co-creating a bracelet watch for the once queen of Naples, Italy (and youngest sister to Napoleon I), Caroline Bonaparte Murat, A.L. Breguet created a legacy that younger watch brands could only dream of accomplishing.

However, after the brand was acquired by Swatch Group in 1999, many watch historians and media members were left to wonder whether or not the brand’s founder would be happy with the direction in which Montres Breguet was headed.
 

From a personal perspective, I feel that, yes, he would be happy, but more importantly, he would be proud.

The 250th anniversary of Breguet is off to a timely start (yes, yes, that was on purpose) with the unveiling of the Classique Souscription 2025, introduced in late April in Paris, the original home of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s famed workshop.

For those of you unfamiliar with the early pocket watches created by Breguet, you may not recognize the style of this wristwatch as being one that pays homage to a similar piece created centuries ago, but what even the watch novices will notice is the fact that this timepiece has but one hand (insert Beavis and Butthead giggle here) and a clean face (um…) which, while not uncommon to the Breguet brand, is not exactly its wheelhouse as of late.
 

Breguet CEO Gregory Kissling stated the following regarding the premier 250th anniversary novelty: “This watch is the link between what we wish to share of the history of Breguet and our desire to perpetuate this history going forward.” And both the design and the mechanical structure of the Classique Souscription 2025 do precisely that.

The dial is made of a stunning white grand feu enamel that replicates the original timepieces produced at the Quai de l’Horloge workshop (references No. 246, No. 324, and No. 383, respectively). It is protected by a sapphire crystal with a “chevé” profile, which is thinner, less domed, and has a mostly flat surface that softly curves towards the watch’s edges.
 

Meanwhile, the caseback was also crafted as an homage to the design of the first Souscription watches, which were signed, “A.-L. Breguet.” Additionally, with the Classique Souscription 2025’s case, Breguet has now officially joined the ranks of the growing number of brands that have introduced their own gold alloy.

“Breguet Gold” is a precious metal comprising gold, silver, copper, and palladium (which is a metal traditionally used as an alternate alloy in platinum jewelry and watches). The “blonde” metal case measures 40mm in diameter and is 10.8mm in height.