Breguet celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. While the company boasts numerous inventions, each of its commemorative models has been designed to be understated. This includes its signature tourbillon. The new Classique Tourbillon Sideral 7255 appears at first glance to be a different dial from the legendary Classique Tourbillon 3350. However, this timepiece stands out even more for its simplicity, reducing the number of components to highlight the tourbillon. Rather than adding, it subtracts and condenses. This exceptional skill is surely a testament to the company's 250-year history.
Photographs by Eiichi Okuyama
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
[Chronos Japan Edition, September 2025 Issue]
The first flying tourbillon in 225 years
"Watch enthusiasts will expect a masterpiece, but we won't," Breguet CEO Gregory Kisling told me. It's true that many watch enthusiasts were hoping for an ultra-complicated timepiece from Breguet, which celebrated its 250th anniversary this year. However, Breguet has come up with new pieces that have defied expectations, and they far exceed our imaginations. Breguet's intention with these new pieces is clear: "Our progress cannot be explained by mechanisms alone."
The 250th anniversary collection has been released in a series since the beginning of this year. The fourth in the series is the Classique Tourbillon Sideral 7255. Its configuration is extremely simple, with only the hour and minute hands at 12 o'clock and a tourbillon at 6 o'clock. Furthermore, it lacks the remontoir d'égalité constant-force mechanism, nor the fusee that Breguet specializes in. Given the company's capabilities, it would have been easy to adopt these features, but once again, Breguet chose not to go for an ultra-complex mechanism.
With the hour and minute hands at 12 o'clock and the tourbillon at 6 o'clock, the 7255 looks reminiscent of the Classic Tourbillon 3350, released in 1990. This was not only the company's first wristwatch tourbillon, but also one of the models that led the tourbillon boom. The movement was designed by the famous Daniel Roth and Matthias Butte, who was then working at Nouvelle Lemania.
Kisling explains that the basic design is based on the 3350 series in order to "pay homage to this iconic timepiece (the designer's name alone is already legendary) and this great invention." However, to emphasize the tourbillon invented by Breguet, the 7255 was modified to become a flying tourbillon, eliminating the bridge on the dial side of the carriage. Furthermore, the bridge supporting the carriage from the case back and the gears that drive the carriage have been replaced with sapphire crystal discs, creating a "mystery" that erases the presence of the gears.
As far as I know, Breguet has consistently avoided flying tourbillons. The reason is that removing the bridge supporting the carriage from the dial side compromises stability. Even for ultra-thin tourbillons, the company has opted for the classic configuration of clamping the carriage with bridges from the dial and case back sides. Even the masterpiece "Messidor," in which the carriage appears to be floating, has the tourbillon carriage clamped on both sides by thick sapphire crystal bridges.
This is the first model to feature a flying tourbillon, allowing the tourbillon carriage to protrude. The dial is adorned with aventurine enamel, and the movement's main plate and bridges are also crafted from Breguet gold. The balance spring uses a tempered blue Nivachron, rather than the modern silicon. Manual winding (Cal. 187M1). 23 jewels. 18,000 vph. Power reserve approximately 50 hours. 18K Breguet gold case (38mm diameter, 10.2mm thick). Limited to 50 pieces worldwide. Price: 31,966,000 yen (tax included).
Breguet's first attempt at a flying tourbillon since 1801 was to highlight the tourbillon. By eliminating the bridge on the dial side, the 7255 tourbillon carriage could be positioned 2.2 mm higher from the baseplate and 0.9 mm higher from the dial, further emphasizing its presence. Furthermore, the protruding carriage provides much stronger support from the case back. Befitting a commemorative model, the movement's baseplate and bridges are crafted from Breguet gold, the same color as those used by Breguet in the past.
The dial is not made with Breguet's signature guilloché, but with a new aventurine enamel. This is made by grinding aventurine (gold glass) into a powder, applying it like enamel, and then baking it onto the dial. Normally, aventurine plates are thinly sliced and applied, but Breguet developed a new technique to add depth to the surface. Black enamel would have been more popular with enthusiasts, and Breguet today could have chosen a high-quality enamel dial. However, the company chose to use a starry sky, symbolizing their connection to astronomy, on the dial. It is no surprise that this model was named "Sidéral" (Astronomical).
I'll say it again. This piece has no ostentatious mechanisms or eye-catching decorations. However, the skill with which it expresses 250 years of progress using only simple elements is simply impressive. This writer thinks that this is the result of the weight of two and a half centuries.
