In anticipation of a significant milestone, the House of Breguet has unveiled a timepiece that connects its storied past with contemporary watchmaking artistry. The year 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the Maison's founding, and to commence the celebrations, Breguet introduces the Classique Souscription 2025 watch. This introduction took place in Paris, the city intrinsically linked with Abraham-Louis Breguet, where his workshop on the Île de la Cité became a cradle for groundbreaking horological inventions. This new wristwatch serves as a modern interpretation of one of the master watchmaker's most commercially innovative creations: the Souscription pocket watch.
The story of the original Souscription watch begins during a tumultuous period in French history. Abraham-Louis Breguet, seeking refuge from the French Revolution's dangers, temporarily returned to his native Switzerland in 1793, residing in Neuchâtel and Le Locle. By 1795, conditions allowed his return to Paris, where he had initially established his workshop in 1775 and already gained considerable renown. Upon his return, Breguet faced the challenge of revitalizing his business. Among his many projects aimed at achieving this was the development of the Souscription watch.
Courtesy of Breguet
The term "Souscription" itself started appearing in Breguet's sales records, meticulously preserved today at the Musée Breguet, as early as 1796. However, the watch was primarily marketed beginning in 1797. This timepiece represented a departure towards simplicity and accessibility. It was characterized by a robust build, a large diameter (around 61mm), a clear white enamel dial featuring only a single hand, and a movement designed with a simplified architecture for reliability. A.-L. Breguet wasn't just a technical genius; he was also a forward-thinking entrepreneur.
He introduced the Souscription watch using an innovative advertising pamphlet, a novel marketing approach for the era. The sales method was equally revolutionary: prospective buyers confirmed their order by paying a quarter of the watch's price upfront as a deposit, or "subscription." This system provided Breguet with the necessary capital to purchase materials and manage production costs, effectively enabling the start of series production for his workshop. This method proved successful, with approximately 700 Souscription watches being produced over three decades.
The Souscription concept embodied A.-L. Breguet's desire to democratize fine watchmaking, making high-quality timepieces accessible to a broader audience. It was revolutionary not only in its minimalist design and single-hand display but also in its production and commercialization strategy. It stands as a significant pillar in the extensive body of work created by Breguet, showcasing his blend of technical skill and business acumen. The new Classique Souscription 2025 aims to capture this spirit, blending the historical essence with modern expertise.
Gregory Kissling, CEO of Breguet, emphasizes this connection, stating, "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." The decision to launch the anniversary celebrations with a Souscription model, rather than a highly complicated piece, was deliberate. It was intended to surprise, highlighting a different facet of Breguet's history – the pursuit of reliable simplicity and broader appeal. The movement architecture itself draws inspiration from another Breguet innovation, the Tact watch, adding layers of historical reference to this seemingly simple piece.
Courtesy of Breguet
The visual identity of the Classique Souscription 2025 is anchored by its striking white dial, crafted using the traditional "grand feu" enamel technique. This method involves firing the enamel at extremely high temperatures, resulting in a deep, luminous, and incredibly durable surface. The dial's design faithfully echoes the clean aesthetic favored by A.-L. Breguet for his original Souscription pieces, prioritizing clarity and contrast for easy time-telling, even with a single hand.
At the dial's center rotates a solitary Breguet hand, distinguished by its open-tipped "hollow apple" design. Fashioned from steel, this hand undergoes a traditional flame-bluing process and is meticulously curved by hand to follow the dial's contour. Its fine point sweeps across the characteristic, slightly inclined Breguet Arabic numerals and a precise "chemin de fer" (railroad) minute track. This track features specific markings for hours, as well as 5, 10, 15, and 30-minute intervals, offering remarkable legibility for a single-hand display, achieving an accuracy resolution of approximately +/- 2 minutes.
The numerals, minute track, and the Breguet signature positioned at 12 o'clock are rendered in black using the "petit feu" enamel technique, requiring additional firing steps at lower temperatures. Further adding to the dial's authenticity are inscriptions discreetly placed between the center and 6 o'clock: the word "Souscription," the watch's unique serial number, and the famed Breguet secret signature. This signature, almost invisible to the naked eye, was a crucial anti-counterfeiting measure implemented by A.-L. Breguet.
Reproducing this secret signature on the Classique Souscription 2025 involves historical fidelity. Instead of modern transfer techniques often used on enamel, Breguet employs a vintage pantograph fitted with a diamond point. This precision instrument, similar to those used in Breguet's original workshops (the Maison even acquired one previously owned by the renowned watchmaker George Daniels), delicately engraves the signature into the enamel surface using a dry-point technique, perpetuating a historical craft.
Protecting this carefully crafted face is a sapphire crystal featuring a "chevé" profile. This type of crystal, characterized by a relatively flat center that curves gently towards the edges, was another innovation introduced by A.-L. Breguet. It offered a thinner and less bulbous alternative to the crystals common in his time, allowing for a sleeker integration with the watch case. Like Breguet hands and numerals, the chevé crystal has become a recognized feature in watch design.
Courtesy of Breguet
For the case of the Classique Souscription 2025, Breguet introduces a proprietary precious metal alloy: 18K Breguet gold. This unique "blond" gold blend combines 75% pure gold with silver, copper, and palladium. The resulting alloy possesses a warm, subtly pinkish hue, reminiscent of the gold used by watchmakers in the 18th century, including A.-L. Breguet himself. This historical reference is combined with modern metallurgical considerations for resistance, durability, and aesthetic appeal.
The case measures a contemporary 40mm in diameter and 10.8mm in thickness. Its design represents a subtle evolution, focusing on ergonomics. Notably, the traditional coin-edge fluting often seen on Breguet case middles is replaced with a refined satin-brushed finish. This choice aligns more closely with the finishing of the original Souscription pocket watches, which were not fluted. Furthermore, the lugs have been redesigned with a distinct curve, allowing the watch to sit more comfortably and conform better to the wrist compared to the straight lugs typical of earlier Breguet wristwatches. The crown is a non-screwed type, and the watch offers a water resistance of 3 bar (approximately 30 meters).
The development of Breguet gold involved careful consideration of its properties beyond just color. The alloy was formulated for enhanced resistance to discoloration and long-term stability, ensuring the watch maintains its appearance over time. Breguet also ensured the alloy was compatible with the various finishing and decorative techniques employed by the Maison's artisans. This new gold embodies Breguet's commitment to both honoring heritage and advancing technical expertise, serving as a fitting material for this anniversary piece.
Turning the watch over reveals a sapphire crystal caseback, offering an expansive view of the newly developed, hand-wound movement, Calibre VS00. The movement plates and bridges are crafted from gilded brass, treated to match the warm tone of the 18K Breguet gold case. The architecture of this calibre is directly inspired by the structural layout of the movements found in A.-L. Breguet's original Souscription and Tact watches.
Courtesy of Breguet
A significant decorative feature of the movement is the entirely new guilloché pattern named "Quai de l’Horloge," unveiled specifically for this anniversary year. Applied by hand using traditional rose engines, this intricate pattern adorns the movement's back surfaces. Its design draws inspiration from the geographical curves of the Île de la Cité, the historical location of Breguet's workshop, and the neighboring Île Saint-Louis in Paris. The pattern creates a harmonious, adaptable rhythm, showcasing guilloché not just as decoration, but as a living art form mastered by Breguet.
Mechanically, the Calibre VS00 operates at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour). Despite its seemingly simple single-hand display, it boasts an impressive power reserve of 96 hours, or four days, achieved using a single mainspring barrel. The regulating organ features a balance spring made from Nivachron™, a modern, patented alloy primarily composed of titanium. This material offers excellent resistance to magnetic fields, temperature fluctuations, and shocks. The balance spring itself is blued and features a Breguet overcoil, an uplifted final coil that improves concentric breathing and thus timekeeping precision – another key invention by the founder.
The finishing of the movement components further connects it to historical Breguet practices. The plates and bridges feature a fine shot-blasted texture, a decoration technique inspired by the movements A.-L. Breguet created. The visual appeal is enhanced by the contrast provided by 21 jewels and 12 blued steel screws. A prominent element is the large ratchet wheel, which carries a unique engraving. It faithfully reproduces, in negative relief and characteristic cursive script, words written by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself, taken from his original advertising pamphlet explaining the design philosophy behind the Souscription movement.
Completing the ensemble is a strap crafted from navy blue alligator leather, featuring large scales on the exterior and a comfortable lining of smaller-scaled alligator leather. It is secured by a pin buckle (ardillon style) made from matching 18K Breguet gold, with the pin itself finished with the Breguet "B". The estimated weight of the Breguet gold used in the watch is 47.7 grams.
Courtesy of Breguet
Even the presentation box for the Classique Souscription 2025 is special, designed specifically for the 250th anniversary. It takes inspiration from the protective red Moroccan leather cases A.-L. Breguet used for his valuable timepieces. Made from lightly grained red calf leather, the box features gold hot-stamped embossing reading "BREGUET 250 YEARS," alongside the individual serial number of the watch within. Its soft, rounded shape and push-button opening mechanism recall historical case designs, while the hinge is plated with Breguet gold. Inside, refined blue fabric lines the compartment, holding the watch vertically, reminiscent of how pocket watches were often presented. A small escutcheon, recalling an early Breguet logo, adorns the underside.
The Classique Souscription 2025 (reference 2025BH/28/9W6) comes with a 5-year international sales warranty. The recommended retail price is $48,700 USD or 45,000 CHF (including taxes). This timepiece represents the first chapter in Breguet's 250th-anniversary celebration, skillfully merging historical reverence with modern horological excellence.
Case: 18K Breguet gold, round shape, 40 mm diameter, 10.8 mm thickness. Satin-brushed case middle. Sapphire crystal with "chevé" profile (anti-reflective coated). Sapphire caseback with handmade "Quai de l’Horloge" guilloché and "BREGUET 250 YEARS" engraving (anti-reflective coated inside). Non-screwed crown. 21 mm lug width. Water resistance 3 BAR (30 meters).
Movement: Calibre VS00, hand-wound. 16 lignes (35.2 mm width), 5.7 mm thick. 144 components, 21 jewels. Frequency 3 Hz (21,600 vph). Single barrel providing 96-hour (4 days) power reserve. Patented blue Breguet Nivachron™ balance spring with Breguet overcoil. Finished with fine shot-blasting on gilded brass plates/bridges, 12 blued steel screws. Ratchet wheel engraved with A.-L. Breguet's writings. Numbered and signed Breguet.
Dial: White Grand Feu enamel on gold base. Black Petit Feu enamel Breguet Arabic numerals, minute track, and Breguet signature. Single flame-blued steel open-tipped Breguet hand, hand-curved with mirror-polished chamfer. "Souscription", serial number, and secret signature engraved via diamond-point pantograph.
Strap: Navy blue large-scaled alligator leather with navy blue small-scaled alligator leather lining. 18K Breguet gold pin buckle (Ardillon type) with "B" engraving on pin.
Price: $48,700 USD / 45,000 CHF (Recommended Retail Price, All Taxes Included).
Reference Number: 2025BH/28/9W6
Notes: Commemorates Breguet's 250th anniversary in 2025, inspired by A.-L. Breguet's original single-hand Souscription watches. Introduces new 18K Breguet gold alloy and "Quai de l’Horloge" guilloché pattern. Includes special 250th-anniversary red leather presentation box. 5-Year International Sales Warranty.