Breguet celebrates its 250th anniversary. Its first release to commemorate this milestone was not the complicated watch many expected, but a single-hand "Souscription." What Breguet has chosen to show with this model is a magnificent fusion of the past and the future, and a further leap forward for the brand.
Photographs by Osamu Yajima, Eiichi Okuyama
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
250 Years of Breguet: Learning from the Past
Breguet celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2025. The first product the company announced was the Classique Subscription 2025, a watch with just one hand. Explained to us by Gregory Kisling, who was appointed CEO last October.
"To celebrate our 250th anniversary, we decided not to simply launch one model, but to launch an entire anniversary collection, the first of which is the Classique Subscription 2025. While the watch industry expects Breguet to launch complicated models, we have chosen to go against the flow."
There are other reasons why I chose this model.
"It's a model that represents the era of our founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and it's also a symbol of the celebration of our 250th anniversary."
After the French Revolution, Abraham-Louis Breguet fled to his native Switzerland for two years, where he came up with the idea for subscription watches: to make simple, reliable, and highly accurate watches available to the masses.
(Right) The Subscription case emphasizes its pebble-like shape. By eliminating the minute hand and minimizing the gap between the dial and hands, the three-dimensional feel and thinness are emphasized.
Since its founding, Breguet had only produced one-off pieces, but it was thanks to the "souscription" system introduced with this model that it was able to establish itself as a manufacturer. This innovative sales method, in which a quarter of the price was paid in advance at the time of ordering, not only enabled Breguet to rebuild his workshop after returning to France, but also produced 700 souscriptions. There was a clear intention behind reviving the souscription, which had propelled Breguet to success, at this milestone of its 250th anniversary.
Kisling took the pocket watch that served as the prototype for the Classique Subscription 2025. This 61mm model, with its highly accurate ruby cylinder escapement and shock-resistant parachute, has now been reworked by Breguet into a 40mm wristwatch. Breguet's intention in doing so was to combine the past and the future.
(Right) The Breguet gold used in the Classique Subscription 2025 is mixed with palladium, giving it a color somewhere between yellow and rose gold.
Kisling took over as CEO on October 1, 2024. He began preparations even before he took up the role, delving into Breguet's history and working hard to incorporate "Breguet-esque" details. A key feature of this is the extremely narrow clearance between the hands and the dial (which is made of scratch-prone enamel!). "In the original Subscription watch, the distance between the dial and the hands was set relatively narrow. We've faithfully replicated this in the 2025 edition, because the sense of distance between them is directly related to the accuracy of reading. If the gap is too large, parallax will occur, causing the time reading to vary depending on the viewing angle." The watch's manual-winding movement has a daily accuracy of a few seconds, but because it has a single hand, the display on the dial is only accurate to ±2 minutes. The reason is, "This watch is also a device that challenges the very way we see time."
In addition, Breguet developed a new gold for this watch, named "Breguet Gold." This gold, which has a color somewhere between yellow gold and rose gold (Kisling describes it as "gray gold"), is a new alloy made of 75% gold, mixed with copper, silver, and palladium. Kisling explains that he deliberately chose not to use an existing material because he wanted to express the color of gold from Breguet's time. This time, Breguet has paid homage to its founder and the era not only through the details but also through the color.
The Classique Subscription 2025 is embodied in Breguet's grand intention to connect the past and future. Let's unravel its fascinating story with an explanation from Kisling.
Classic Subscription 2025
The Classique Souscription 2025 is a single-hand wristwatch that reimagines the 1796 souscription. Kisling explains, "This model is not just a wristwatch, but a storyteller and medium for conveying Breguet's inventions and history." To that end, in addition to the souscription sales format, catalog sales method, and inventions such as the winding balance and Breguet hands, it incorporates a total of 13 new technologies that are characteristic of Breguet today. "In other words, this watch embodies a series of inventions spanning from the 18th to the 21st centuries," Kisling says, and seeing it in person makes sense.
A quiet masterpiece worthy of celebrating Breguet's 250th anniversary. Not only does it bring together souscriptions from the 18th and 19th centuries in wristwatch size, it also incorporates a full range of classic techniques and the latest technology. The sense of unity as a watch, seen through to the finest detail, is truly impressive. Manual winding (Cal. VS00). 21 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve of approximately 96 hours. 18K Breguet gold case (40mm diameter, 10.8mm thick). Water resistant to 3 bar. Price: 7,359,000 yen (tax included).
First of all, there's the 40mm case. Kisling says that in developing this model, they rethought the fit. As you can see from the photo, the lugs have been slightly shortened and the ends bent toward the case back, making them easier to fit for those with smaller wrists. In addition, the case middle has been stripped of Breguet's iconic "fluted" pattern, and instead features a very lightly grained finish. Kisling explains that this is a finish that mimics the original souscription, but combined with the short, curved lugs, it also gives the watch a modern feel. Furthermore, the slightly wider 21mm strap also adds a modern touch to this watch.
(Right) The case has an ergonomic design. The fit has been further improved by shortening the lugs in a modern style.
The same goes for Breguet's first Nivachron balance spring. This blued, end-wound balance spring is actually not an Anachron or Nivarox, but a Nivachron, a highly antimagnetic titanium alloy. While not as high-spec as a silicon balance spring, it still makes the new subscription a modern watch.
At the same time, classic details were further emphasized. The highlight was the domed (!) Grand Feu enamel. Kisling had previously perfected domed enamel dials during his time at Omega, but this model is completely different. While Omega's dials used a ceramic base, Breguet chose white gold and even employed a method of lining the enamel. Omega's technology would have made manufacturing easier and the dial itself thinner, but Breguet chose to reproduce the old method exactly.
(Right) The Classic Subscription 2025 features a pebble-like design. The newly designed domed crystal demonstrates the continuity of the design. Also noteworthy is the extremely narrow clearance between the hands and the dial.
What's more, the secret signature on the dial was hand-engraved, not with a laser, but with a pantograph. When this project began, the plan was to print it, but after Kisling became CEO, he persuaded the craftsmen at the restoration workshop to use the same method as Abraham-Louis Breguet. Furthermore, the pantograph used for engraving was a memento of the late George Daniels, a renowned Breguet scholar. "I don't know if it was Breguet's own, but it's at least from his time. I bought it at auction," Kisling explains. If the signature had been printed, the Classique Subscription 2025's perfection would surely be half as impressive. Kisling's skill in enhancing its appeal through the accumulation of details is even more evident in this piece.
This meticulous workmanship can also be seen in the unique single hand. This time, the Classique Subscription 2025 uses a single hand of unequal width. Breguet normally sources its hands from group companies, but because the shape of the hand is complex, the blueing process was carried out in the restoration department this time. The reason is that the shape of the hand is thick in the center and becomes extremely thin towards the tip. If it were to be blued in an oven, the color would become uneven and it would be unusable. "We could have used an oven to blue it, but that would not have given the unequal width single hand the deep blue color and the texture that shows the traces of the artisan's hand."
The accessories are also elaborate. This model features a red leather case reminiscent of classic Breguet models. Like the original, the model name and other details are decorated in gold leaf. The reason for having an 18th-century-style box specifically created is to demonstrate the continuity between past and present. Similarly, Breguet deliberately designed the watch case to resemble a pebble (Gallée). The primary reason for this was, of course, to maintain visual similarity with the original model. However, "Just as a pebble becomes rounded over the years as it is polished by the flow of water, this watch also symbolizes the fact that it will be passed down through the ages," according to Kissling. To that end, Breguet even went to the trouble of designing a new domed crystal, further exaggerating the pebble-like shape of the three-dimensional dial.
The case back of this model is also meticulously crafted. The Caliber VS00, which mimics the design of the original, is a completely new design. The Nivachron balance spring and large barrel provide a long power reserve of approximately 96 hours, making this model highly practical. Meanwhile, the barrel is laser-engraved with the Breguet signature, and the main plate is hand-engraved. The colors of the movement and case are perfectly matched, further enhancing the watch's cohesiveness.
A small accent has also been added to the case back. The guilloched pattern around the outer edge is a newly developed "Quai de l'Horloge" pattern. The new pattern was created by extracting only the city lines from an old map of the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis, where Breguet had its workshops. In other words, the history of Breguet is incorporated into every detail.
This 21st century subscription is full of Breguet's history and exceptional skill. The skill with which various details are brought together into a single package is also worthy of a long-established company with 250 years of history. The level of perfection is simply stunning.
An exhibition looking back on the history and inventions of the company's 250th anniversary
Les Tiroirs du Temps - Drawer of Time -
Cité du Temps Ginza
Event period: June 9th (Mon) to 15th (Sun), 2025
Venue: Cité du Temps Ginza
Nicolas G. Hayek Center, 14th floor, 7-9-18 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
*A replica of the legendary pocket watch No. 160, ordered by Queen Marie Antoinette of France from Breguet, will be on special display.
▼Click here to make a reservation to visit Cité du Temps Ginza
https://breguet-250years.eventos.tokyo/web/portal/1085/event/13803/module/ticket/351734
Ginza Mitsukoshi Main Building 1st Floor The Stage
Event period: Wednesday, June 11th to Tuesday, June 24th, 2025
Venue: Ginza Mitsukoshi Main Building, 1st floor, The Stage
*There will be no replica of No. 160 on display.
