Introducing: The Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 — Initiating The Brand’s 250th-Anniversary Celebrations

Abraham-Louis Breguet was probably the first watchmaker to launch a watch with the help of a Kickstarter campaign. Okay, well, not exactly, but in 1797, he made his 61mm Souscription pocket watch available for order with a 25% down payment. That way, the relatively simple watch with only one hand and a white enamel dial became more accessible to a larger audience, and Breguet could amass the funds to complete the project. Today, for the brand’s 250th anniversary, Breguet CEO Gregory Kissling introduces the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025. This 40mm wristwatch in proprietary Breguet gold takes inspiration from the late-18th-century pocket watch in both its design and the hand-wound movement.

If you’d like to know more about the original Souscription pocket watch, I highly recommend taking a look at The Naked Watchmaker’s deconstruction of it. In summary, this pocket watch was way ahead of its time regarding resistance to shocks, temperature fluctations, and magnetism. Its simplified one-handed layout, the hard-to-copy inscription on the white enamel dial, and the subscription-model introduction also showed great design and entrepreneurial skills. Let’s see how Gregory Kissling and his team at Breguet translated all that magnificence into the Classique Souscription 2025.

The Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 in Breguet gold

RJ already said it multiple times in his articles and around the Fratello office: “Breguet should bring yellow gold back into its collection.” Well, it looks like his wish has been granted because the new Classique Souscription 2025 comes in Breguet gold. The brand calls it a blond shade of gold, and it consists of a combination of gold, silver, copper, and palladium. This formulation is very similar to that of Omega’s Moonshine Gold.

The 18K gold case has a 40mm diameter and a 10.8mm thickness. That includes the slightly domed sapphire crystals on the top and bottom. The design of the mid-case and lugs stands apart from previous Breguet Classique watches. The lugs look more integrated, and they taper toward the strap while bending slightly down toward the wrist. This updated design should improve wearability in conjunction with the modest 48mm lug-to-lug span.

Another big change is the finishing on the mid-case. Breguet watches of the past were famous for their coin-edge texture. Instead, the new Classique Souscription 2025 has a subtle horizontal satin-brushed finish.

The one-handed grand feu enamel dial

When Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced his Souscription pocket watch, he wanted it to be easily readable. In fact, the layout and legibility were always very important pillars in his dial designs. As on the original watch, the Classique Souscription 2025 has just one blued steel hand with Breguet’s signature open-tipped design. This hand makes one revolution in exactly 12 hours. Between the numbers marking each of those hours, you’ll find dashes designating every five minutes and quarter-hour markings highlighted in bold. While this isn’t the most precise time display, it is very easy to read and understand.

The pristine white grand feu enamel dial features petit feu black Arabic Breguet-style numerals, a minute track, and Breguet’s signature at 12. There’s also a “secret” engraving at 6 o’clock, which Breguet originally added to make it harder to copy his designs. It’s a subtle marker of authenticity that sometimes shows itself when the light hits it. It’s engraved with a diamond-point pantograph and features the Souscription name, the watch’s serial number, and Breguet’s signature.

The hand-wound VS00 caliber

The new movement inside takes inspiration from the original movement inside the Souscription pocket watch. When you turn the Classique Souscription 2025 around, it almost seems like you’re looking at a Breguet Tradition. That’s no coincidence because the movement from the original pocket watch also inspired the Tradition collection when it debuted in 2005.

The hand-wound VS00 movement features the typical Breguet architecture, with a symmetrical layout and minimalistic design for the bridges. The ratchet wheel in the center features an inscription based on Breguet’s words taken from the original marketing materials from 1797. The movement has a gold-plated and shot-blasted finish, and, of course, the Breguet signature and serial number are engraved there as well.

The movement runs at a frequency of 21,600vph, features 21 jewels, and holds an impressive power reserve of 96 hours in a single barrel. Of course, there’s a Nivachron balance spring with a Breguet overcoil, which helps keep the movement resistant to temperature changes, magnetic fields, and shocks.

In addition, the gold ring of the case back surrounding the movement features a new Quai de l’Horloge guilloché pattern. Its inspiration comes from the shapes of the Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis islands in the river Seine in Paris. This is where Abraham-Louis Breguet had his workshop.

Initial impressions

I haven’t seen the new Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 in real life yet. However, I think it’s a very fitting release for such a big anniversary. This watch perfectly connects Breguet’s rich history in terms of design, technical innovation, and entrepreneurship with today’s world. The new Breguet gold looks very classy, and the modernized case shape perfectly suits the timeless dial design. Furthermore, the Classique Souscription 2025 looks modest, as a Breguet watch should, yet it’s very impressive when you look more closely at its finishing, technology, and overall design. Do I miss the coin-edge pattern on the case flanks? Yes, especially when I look at the beautiful texture on the pocket watch’s mid-case. However, I also very much admire the courage to try something different this time.

The new Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 costs €53,200. Now, despite the name, there’s no mention of a subscription or down-payment option like there was back in the 18th century. So I guess you’re expected to pay the full amount all at once if you want one. That’s a shame, especially for those with a smaller budget, like me. However, the price seems to be lower than that of the original Souscription pocket watch. That cost £600 in 1797, which roughly converts to an impressive €70,000 today.

Of course, we’ll make sure to get our hands on the new Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 as soon as possible. In the meantime, let us know what you think of this celebratory release in the comments below.