768 articles · 53 videos found · page 1 of 28
Breguet's 1801 rotating-cage escapement, explained.
The coiled spring that controls the balance wheel; Huygens 1675, Breguet overcoil 1795.
Designer behind modern Breguet 1973-89 and the eponymous Daniel Roth brand with its double-ellipse case.
The cursive italic Arabic numerals designed by Abraham-Louis Breguet ~1790; canonical haute-horlogerie dress watch numeral.
Quill & Pad
Torn between Breguet and Patek Philippe? We compare their royal histories, iconic movements, and market value to help you choose your masterpiece. The post Old-World Guilloché vs. The Geneva Tradition: Breguet and Patek Philippe Compared appeared first on Quill & Pad.
Time+Tide
These past seven days have had several irons in the fire. It’s a longer LWIW list than usual, but I’d really suggest you read to the end, as there’s no filler. From independent brand Alto unveiling a wearable piece of art to Chaykin giving a mystery-clock treatment to the already impressive thinnest watch in the … ContinuedThe post New releases from Alto, Breguet, Chaykin and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Breguet refreshes its Tradition collection for 2026 with new colourways and expanded grand feu enamel dial options across five references, building on the momentum of the brand’s 250th anniversary year. The line-up spans four automatic variants of the Seconde Rétrograde and one manually wound GMT, all underpinned by the architecturally distinctive cal. 505 that has defined the collection since its 2005 introduction. Initial thoughts Inspired by an original Abraham-Louis Breguet’s montres à tact pocket watch from the late 18th century, the Tradition collection, released in 2005, was Breguet’s first major new model family under Swatch Group management. The central barrel placement and unusual gear train arrangement perfectly captures the essence of the original pocket watches, and this aspect of the design remains as recognisable and distinctive as ever, despite the a growing number of independent watchmakers that have introduced watches with a similar layout. In fact, the cal. 505 is so successful as a contemporary interpretation of Breguet’s work that a variation of it was adapted for use in the award-winning Classique Souscription 2025 introduced last year. For 2026, the Tradition collection has been slightly refreshed with modern colourways and more grand feu enamel dial options. The five new models include four automatic variants of the Seconde Rétrograde, one of which features a diamond-set bezel, and one manually wound reference with a dual-time complicatio...
Monochrome
Born in 2005 as the reference 7027 (a compact 37mm model with power reserve indicator and hand-wound movement), the Breguet Tradition has since become a classic of the brand and one of its most recognisable watches. It’s also one with possibly the strongest connection to the past. It’s not a vintage re-edition done the classic […]
Fratello
Last year was Breguet’s 250th anniversary, and the brand treated us to many beautiful new watches to mark the occasion. However, it also made me think about how its new leadership would handle the regular collection of Breguet watches. We see the first results today, with the new Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7037, a previously […] Visit Introducing: The Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7037 to read the full article.
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SJX Watches
Abraham-Louis Breguet’s No. 160 exists first as legend. The standard account describes a secret commission for Marie Antoinette, incomplete when she faced execution, requiring forty-four years to finish. Theft, recovery, mystery, and royal romance: the narrative contains all the necessary elements of mythology. Yet this fame is recent. From its 1783 inscription in the order books through the 19th century, the watch remained largely unknown outside the Breguet workshop but for a few private collectors. Only when Sir David Lionel Salomons acquired it, nearly 140 years later, did the wider horological world learn of its existence, thanks to his careful cataloging and the watch’s public exhibition in 1923. Salomons gave credit to Breguet’s mastery on a scale previously unrecognised, establishing No. 160 as the supreme example of complicated watchmaking and the prime masterpiece of its maker. Sir David Lionel Salomons’s 1921 work on Breguet and the collection he assembled seems to be the first source to mention Marie Antoinette. Image SJX composite – Sotheby’s Subsequently, many sources have reported that the commission demanded every known watch complication and that no time constraints or limits were placed on its design or cost. The workshop records, however, tell a story that differs from both obscurity and legend. No. 160 appears in the 1783 order books as three words: “No. 160, Montre d’Or.” The entry stands alone, anonymous, unexplained and without cont...
Deployant
Explore the Breguet Tradition Collection in a detailed press release highlighting its historical roots, architectural movement design, signature shock absorber, and insights from Breguet leadership.
SJX Watches
The Expérimentale 1 debuted last year as the capstone to the first quarter-millennium of the house of Breguet. We attended the launch event and shared immediate hands-on impressions, but watches like this don’t come along every day, or even every year, so it’s worth a fresh look now that some time has passed and the dust has settled. On paper, the Expérimentale 1 arguably represents the highest form of the mechanical watch. To understand the technical details of what makes the watch so groundbreaking, this in-depth analysis should be considered required reading. In short, the cal. 7250 housed within introduces the first-ever contactless mechanical escapement that simultaneously achieves two feats that Abraham-Louis Breguet himself toiled to accomplish throughout his entire career, namely, an oil-free escapement and stable amplitude. The Expérimentale 1 delivers both, and more. That said, as a wristwatch the Expérimentale 1 is tantalisingly imperfect owing to its polarising design. In fairness, this arguably says more about the difficultly of communicating technical breakthroughs to a non-technical public than it does about the design process at Breguet. It could also be the result of Breguet learning lessons from its own past. A modern (Marine) chronometer The Expérimentale 1 is most notable for its novel escapement and what it signals about the future direction of the brand, but it’s also worth analysing the updated Marine-style case, which is the most challeng...
Deployant
Breguet introduces the Classique Répétition Minutes 7365, an all-new minute repeater reference, in conjunction with the brand's 250th anniversary.
SJX Watches
One of the most complicated offerings rolled out during Breguet’s landmark 250th anniversary collection from last year, the Classique Répétition Minutes 7365 is a new take on a complication (and movement) that’s been in the brand’s catalogue for decades. The 7365 repackages a historical, but reworked, calibre inside the new style case also used for the Classique Souscription, matched with a striking blue enamel dial that nonetheless retains the classic Breguet hands and numerals. The result is bolder and brighter than the average Breguet, but still recognisable. Initial thoughts More than any other anniversary model, the minute repeater 7365 demonstrates the rejuvenation of Breguet led by chief executive Gregory Kissling and his team. Even though the foundations of the watch go back decades, the 7365 looks fresh. It still looks and feels like a Breguet, but it doesn’t feel derivative. The case is similar to that found on other anniversary models, and a good diversification away from the old-school Breguet wristwatch case with straight lugs. Importantly, the case is quite a bit smaller than that of the 7365’s predecessor, which gives this a much more elegant profile. The dial is beautifully furnished with solid gold numerals and hands, but the bleu de France dial is too bleu for my tastes. It’s a few shades too bright for something this classical. That said, I can see the appeal of the colour, especially for someone who feels the average Breguet is too conser...
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SJX Watches
A rare Breguet pocket watch with retrograde perpetual calendar and equation of time illustrates the evolution of the house from its founder’s era to the early 20th century, blending historical motifs with modern concessions. Made in 1932, Breguet No. 2492 is one of just four known examples from a series of equation of time movements produced over nearly five decades by the legendary workshops of Victorin Piguet. In short, it’s a watch with one foot in the 19th century and one in the early 20th. The transitional nature of the watch evidently resonated with collectors, as the watch recently sold for CHF241,300 at Phillips’ Geneva auction in November, some 20% above its high estimate. Context It might be surprising, but Abraham-Louis Breguet’s unexpected death in 1823 had no immediate effect on the firm’s output. The firm produced well over a hundred watches each year, which required a staff of skilled workers, as well as A.-L. Breguet’s family, who understood what a Breguet watch was, and could build one without being managed by the man himself. However, with the old guard’s retirement, and general decline of Parisian watchmaking, things slowly changed. After the Breguet family sold the firm in the late 19th century, turning instead to the more lucrative business of aviation, the firm’s output strayed from A.-L. Breguet’s vision, abandoning Breguet’s signature design language for a medley of styles catering to specific markets. During this time, the brand...
Monochrome
Unveiled on 26 June 2025, a nod to the date Abraham-Louis Breguet secured a patent for his gravity-defying tourbillon (26 June 1801), the Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 takes his groundbreaking regulator on a fascinating ride through time and space. Released for the brand’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 pays homage to its illustrious […]
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, we selected our five favorite complicated watches released in 2025. Indeed, many contenders were fighting for a spot among these. We have seen many impressive releases that either introduced new technologies or were groundbreaking due to the sheer number of complications involved. In life, though, it’s not just about […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Complicated Watches Of 2025 - Featuring Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, And More to read the full article.
Monochrome
As most of you might know by now, this year Breguet celebrated its 250th anniversary. And this highly important brand, whose founder has been instrumental in the development of modern watchmaking, has released rather incredible models all year long. It started with a deceptively simple Souscription model that won the GPHG 2025, followed by a […]
Fratello
We’ve almost reached the end of 2025, and what a year it was for horology! First of all, I have the feeling it really flew by. It started with a bang when LVMH hosted its watch week last January, and just last week, I returned to Paris for Breguet’s 250th-anniversary celebration. My picks for the […] Visit The Best Watches Of 2025 - RJ’s Picks From Breguet, Chopard, Rolex, And More to read the full article.
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Fratello
End-of-the-year lists - many either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I’m not going to take a side; instead, I will choose my five favorite watches that debuted in 2025 in this second installment of our current Fratello Favorites series. Thomas kicked it off with his five favorites from the hundreds of watches released this year. […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2025 - Lex’s Picks From Audemars Piguet, Laventure, Breguet, Piaget, And More to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Earlier this week, Breguet rounded off its grandiose 250th anniversary with the unexpected launch of the Expérimentale 1 chronometer in Paris. Showcasing modern Breguet’s most impressive innovation to date - a magnetic constant-force escapement - the watch left many scratching their heads simply because the novel invention defies easy explanation. Here we explain the actual functioning of this remarkable invention, and why it represents such a significant step forward in terms of chronometry and escapement technology. The origins of the concept Before turning to the decidedly modern and futuristic Expérimentale 1, we must first take a short trip to the past and consider how the idea of using magnets in mechanical escapements first came to life. For that we must turn to the late 1930s, when Cecil Frank Clifford, Fellow of the British Horological Institute (BHI), started experimenting with oscillators maintained by magnetic rails or escape wheels. He was granted a British patent in 1954 for a variety of magnetised escape wheels paired with elastic vibrating magnetic blades. The device would operate silently and Clifford envisioned it being used for naval underwater torpedoes, so the lack of ticking would be harder to pick up by sonars. Iterations of Clifford magnetic escapements. His designs were rudimentary. The principle was that the escape wheel would be braked by a vibrating pair of magnetised blades (in several possible configurations), while simultaneously ...
Monochrome
As part of its 250th anniversary celebrations, Breguet closed the year with a grande finale, the Experimental 1 and its innovative magnetic escapement. But there was one more watch as part of the celebratory collection… The Classique Répétition Minutes 7365, a new limited-edition minute repeater rooted in the brand’s heritage while pointing firmly to its […]
Worn & Wound
As if winning the top prize at the GPHG were not enough, Breguet has capped off their big 250th anniversary year with the launch of what is surely their most horologically interesting and cutting edge release in years. The Expérimentale 1 is an ambitious foray into contemporary haute horlogerie from a brand that more than most is associated with classicism. It incorporates and merges multiple technologies and advancements into a remarkably cohesive idea that might even have those of us who have always bristled at the controversial Marine collection rethinking its potential. The showstopping feature of the new Expérimentale 1 is the tourbillon, the first ever to beat at 10 Hz. Bregust is quick to remind us that most tourbillons run at a rate of 2.5 Hz, so this represents a dramatic increase and in theory should provide a variety of chronometric benefits, including rate stability over the duration of the power reserve and a better baseline level of accuracy. But it’s not just a high frequency tourbillon. Breguet has also developed and introduced a new magnetic escapement that is designed to provide constant force to the balance. The logic here is fairly straightforward even if the mechanics themselves are, frankly, somewhat difficult wrap your arms around without real watchmaking experience (this, by the way, is essentially my constant of being as I observe similar watchmaking advancements – wide eyed and impressed but quite frequently confused by all the math and ph...
SJX Watches
Breguet concludes its 250th anniversary with the brand’s most forward-thinking watch, the Expérimentale 1 that boasts a magnetic, true constant force escapement. Equipped with a frictionless escape wheel and pallet lever driven by magnetic forces, the movement runs at 72,000 beats per hour, or 10 Hz – arguably making the Expérimentale 1 the ultimate Breguet chronometer. Impressively innovative with its use of silicon, magnets, and clever teeth geometry, the limited edition watch also marks the start of the Expérimentale line, a collection that will serve as a platform to debut new complications, technology, and designs. Initial thoughts While some might have been expecting an updated Sympathique, Breguet instead surprised with perhaps the most advanced wrist-borne mechanical chronometer in modern watchmaking. Taking cues from Abraham-Louis Breguet’s own “constant force” escapements, Breguet today harnessed the power of permanent magnets and unique teeth geometry to built a genuinely friction-less, constant torque escapement. In fact, the new escapement appears to be the only truly frictionless and constant force escapement on the market today. Magnets have been employed in escapements in the past, but this approach was historically unreliable. Breguet appears to have discovered the right formula for a magnetic escapement. Several functioning prototypes were on show at the launch event. Moreover, Breguet chief executive Gregory Kissling explained that the ma...
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Fratello
Breguet continues to surprise us in its 250th year. In the spirit of the brand’s name-giver, it now presents a world first. Breguet has utilized magnets to create the first 10Hz tourbillon with a magnetic escapement, which delivers constant force to the balance, and has incorporated it into the Expérimentale 1. This fast-beating tourbillon in […] Visit Breaking News: Breguet Creates The First Contact-Free Escapement By Using Magnets to read the full article.
Monochrome
Innovation spirit and inventiveness have always been part of Breguet, specifically as its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, was responsible from 1775 onwards for so many of the watchmaking innovations of that era: the tourbillon, the perpétuelle watch, the natural escapement, the constant-force escapement, the shock absorber, the Breguet balance-spring with its terminal curve, the gong-spring… In […]
SJX Watches
Along with the flagship Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905 pocket watch, Breguet just announced its first water-resistant minute repeater, the Classique Répétition Minutes 7365. While this 250th anniversary edition with a Breguet gold case and Bleu de France grand feu enamel dial is limited to 25 examples, it likely represents the future of the brand’s chiming watches: smaller and more robust. Initial Thoughts Despite the strong popularity chiming watches have seen at the high end for many years, it has felt like something of a weak point for Breguet, reliant on rather old movements that didn’t always sound the best. The ambitious and wild Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon 7087 promised to fix this in 2018, but for unknown reasons that watch never made it to market. However, acoustically Breguet’s repeaters have become quite good despite the old bones, proving how key gongs and case construction are to repeaters. The 7087 doubles down on this approach, not even introducing a silent centrifugal governor which has become ubiquitous in modern chiming watches, even at the high end – the sound of which I’ve come to find quaint. The move to smaller sizes, 42 mm to 39 might be more dictated by market trends rather than any specific vision from the brand, but is one I appreciate either way, and while water resistance isn’t strictly necessary in a chiming watch, the peace of mind is reassuring. In the end, this watch comes down to how much you lik...
SJX Watches
Breguet has enjoyed a great 250th anniversary year – one that promises to end with a big reveal in early December – with several commemorative editions launched for the occasion. The best of the lot, however, is undoubtedly the Classique 7225. Equipped with one of the most advanced time-only movements on the market, the Classique 7225 combines cutting edge modern watchmaking of the best industrial-haute horlogerie variety with an unexpectedly captivating aesthetic. Some of its details don’t quite make sense, yet the 7225 as a whole makes a lot of sense. Initial thoughts The Classique 7225 has a great deal of tactile appeal – it feels good on the wrist. In fact, the 7225 is probably the first Breguet in a long time that is sexy. If there’s one Breguet in today’s catalogue I really want, it’s this one. At 41 mm, the 7225 might measure large for such a watch, but the proportions are just right. The case is thin enough, while the wide dial maximises the impact of the guilloche on a gold base. If anything, the design might look odd with a smaller format, since the look comes from a pocket watch after all. Visually, the 7225 is striking and employs the classic Breguet style to great effect. Almost all the elements are familiar so the watch is recognisably “Breguet”, yet it different from the rest of the catalogue. The 7225 instantly looks like a Breguet, which shows its creators have an instinctive understanding of the brand. With its “floating” magnetic ba...
Monochrome
Until recently, for those who have followed Breguet‘s exploits in modern chronometry, one watch has long occupied a special place: the Classique Chronométrie 7727, from 2013. The 7727 demonstrated what high frequency could achieve when combined with silicon components and, quite provocatively, when magnetism, a force that watchmaking usually fears, was not only controlled but […]
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