Breguet 250 Years - A Celebration of Mechanical Mastery

This year, Breguet marks a remarkable 250 years of uninterrupted innovation, a quarter of a millennium defined by ingenuity, refinement and uncompromising pursuit of horological excellence. To honour this milestone, the Maison presents three new timepieces that each reinterpret a different chapter of its storied past: the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035, the Type XX Chronographe 2075, and the Classique Souscription 2025.

Together they reveal the full spectrum of Breguet’s savoir-faire, from the open architecture of its earliest movements to the pioneering spirit of flight and the timeless purity of its classical design codes.

Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 – An Homage to Mechanical Origins

The Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 embodies the beating heart of Breguet’s philosophy: visible mechanics elevated to art. Its design draws inspiration from the subscription watches conceived by Abraham-Louis Breguet in the late 18th century, timepieces renowned for their ingenious simplicity and symmetry.

Crafted in 18 K Breguet gold, the 38 mm case frames a stunning hand-engine-turned dial, layered with translucent blue Grand Feu enamel that shimmers over the movement beneath. The off-centred hours and minutes at 12 o’clock are balanced by a retrograde seconds display, a technical flourish that animates the dial with rhythmic motion.

At its core lies the Calibre 505SR, an automatic movement fitted with a silicon balance spring and a power reserve of 50 hours. Every component, from the barrel to the bridges, is finished with meticulous care, visible through sapphire crystal on both sides. The result is a timepiece that bridges past and present: a mechanical sculpture that celebrates the spirit of Breguet’s early workshop on the Quai de l’Horloge.

Type XX Chronographe 2075 – A Legacy of Flight

The Type XX Chronographe 2075, reference 2075BH/99/398, reawakens Breguet’s aviation heritage with modern precision and unmistakable vintage character. Rooted in the legendary pilot’s chronographs produced for the French Air Force in the 1950s, the new Type XX embraces the DNA of its predecessors while introducing a new manual-winding calibre designed for today’s collector.

Its 38.3 mm case in Breguet gold recalls the compact proportions of the originals, while the black anodised aluminium dial evokes the aesthetic of aviation instruments, bold Arabic numerals, luminous paint, and a bi-directional rotating bezel ensuring clarity and control. The absence of a date window keeps the layout pure and symmetrical, amplifying its vintage allure.

Inside beats the Calibre 7279, a high-frequency (5 Hz) hand-wound flyback chronograph movement with a 60-hour power reserve. Its silicon balance spring and anchor horns enhance reliability and magnetic resistance, while traditional decorations, including a hand-engraved Breguet 19 aircraft on the caseback, affirm the brand’s deep connection to aeronautical history. The Type XX 2075 is a modern revival executed with restraint and purpose: a tribute to Breguet’s instrumental precision and its pioneering role in timekeeping for flight.

Classique Souscription 2025 – The Pure Expression of Time

If the Tradition 7035 reveals Breguet’s inner workings and the Type XX its adventurous side, the Classique Souscription 2025 captures the brand’s timeless elegance. Inspired by the original subscription watches of 1796, the first to feature a single central hand and a dial of stunning clarity, this limited edition reflects the simplicity and rational beauty that defined Abraham-Louis Breguet’s genius.

The 2025BH/28/9W6 is presented in Breguet gold with a refined silvered-gold dial, engine-turned by hand and finished with the Maison’s secret signature between 11 and 12 o’clock. The single blued-steel hand sweeps across Arabic numerals in Breguet’s classical typography, expressing time as a continuous gesture rather than a succession of moments.

Powered by the manual-winding Calibre 7025, the watch delivers 40 hours of autonomy and features a guilloché-decorated barrel visible through the open back. Every detail, from the slender fluted caseband to the welded lugs, is executed in accordance with the purest traditions of the Maison. The Souscription 2025 is both a celebration of Breguet’s origins and a reminder that restraint, proportion, and clarity remain the true hallmarks of haute horlogerie.

A Trilogy of Timeless Innovation

Viewed together, the 7035, 2075, and 2025 tell the story of Breguet not through words but through mechanisms. The Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 echoes the birth of modern watchmaking, the Type XX Chronographe 2075 revives the instrumental precision of aviation, and the Classique Souscription 2025 distils two and a half centuries of craft into its simplest, most poetic form. Each is a chapter in a 250-year journey that continues to define horology itself, proof that, for Breguet, time is not merely measured, but made.