The year 2025 represents an important year for Breguet, as it marks the 250th anniversary of the brand, which was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1775 in the small workshop on Île de la Cité and made famous in the following years by the master thanks to his hunger for and proximity to the French elite, having moved to Paris.
To celebrate this important milestone, the house of Breguet has decided to reinterpret, with the new Classique Souscription, an iconic timepiece made in the past by the brand’s skilled master founder. Specifically, they decided to take inspiration from a historic pocket watch and make it a wristwatch, more suited to modern tastes and needs, but remaining faithful to the high standards decided more than 200 years ago by A.L. Breguet, especially in terms of details and finishing.
Let’s discover this new timepiece together.
The Story of the Breguet Souscription
After the success and fame achieved in the first years of production, Breguet moved, as mentioned, to Paris and, to finance the new and ambitious project, devised a series of initiatives, including the famous “Souscription.”
This pocket watch was sold through an amazing marketing campaign for the time: it was advertised to new Parisian customers through promotional brochures. However, what made it truly innovative was the sales method (Souscription).
Those who wished to purchase the watch had to make a down payment equal to a quarter of the total price. This down payment allowed the Quai de l’Horloge atelier to procure the components and tools needed for production. Over the 20 years that this practice was adopted, some 700 examples of the watch were made.
Aesthetically, the watch was distinguished by its 61 mm diameter gold case and white enamel dial. The real distinctiveness, however, lay in the way the time was displayed: the timepiece featured a single hand, accompanied by a detailed minute scale, designed to provide the most accurate time reading.
The New Breguet Classique Souscription 2025
To celebrate its 250-year history, the house decided to focus on a creation that played a key role in establishing Breguet’s genius, namely the “Souscription” seen in the previous paragraphs.
The watch, originally a pocket watch, is now transformed into a wrist model with a diameter of 40 mm, but retains the distinctive features of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s invention. The dial is enameled, and the intense white color creates a magnificent contrast with the numerals, the logo positioned at 12 o’clock and, most importantly, the hand-blued, hand-curved hand.
A typical element of the brand since the 18th century is the secret engraving on the dial: in this case it includes a unique serial number, a hidden signature, and the inscription “Souscription.” This signature, at the time, was used to authenticate the work of Breguet workshops and to counteract counterfeiting.
The sapphire crystal case back allows visitors to admire the watch’s caliber, the new VS00, made of gold-plated brass, which is reminiscent in construction of the master’s early works.
The hand-wound movement beats at a frequency of 3 Hz and offers as much as four days of power reserve. The Nivachron™ balance spring, made of a non-magnetic alloy, makes the movement more resistant to temperature variations, magnetic fields and shocks.
For the decoration, Breguet opted for a sandblasted finish, contrasted with engravings inspired by a vintage advertising brochure: words of the founder faithfully reproduced in his elegant cursive handwriting.
With the new Classique Souscription 2025, Breguet also took the opportunity to introduce a new gold alloy of its own to make the case: Breguet gold. It is a metal blend composed of gold, silver, copper and palladium.
Price and availability
The watch will be available in Breguet boutiques worldwide with a retail list price of EUR 53,600.
Conclusion
The watch unveiled today by Breguet, on the occasion of its 250th anniversary, is a perfect example of how it is possible to make extraordinary creations, using modern techniques and continuing to innovate, while remaining faithful to what made the brand great: in this case, a timepiece that helped enshrine Breguet’s genius in the world of watchmaking.
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