Breguet Releases 3 new Tourbillon Watches for the 225th Anniversary of its Invention

Precisely 225 years ago on this day (on June 26, 1801, or on 7 Messidor An IX, to use the French Republican calendar in force at the time), Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted the patent for what is, without a doubt, its most famous invention: the tourbillon. Designed to counter the problem of gravity affecting the regularity of watches by placing the regulating organ in a constantly rotating cage, the concept later found its way into wristwatches, which has, as you can imagine, become a speciality of the modern brand that is Breguet. To celebrate the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon, the brand now releases new takes on three bold tourbillon watches, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral, the Tradition Tourbillon Fusée and Chain and Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante – in addition to the stunning 35mm Classique Tourbillon 7357 we covered before. 

While the importance of the creation of the tourbillon regulator can’t be denied, we won’t rewrite the entire story here. Instead, I invite you to have a look at this article and video, which cover all the necessary details about this crucial invention. Instead, we’ll focus on the three new models released for the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon.

Classique Tourbillon Sideral 7255 in black aventurine enamel

Unveiled as part of the brand’s 250th anniversary collection, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 (back then in Breguet gold with a blue dial) was the brand’s first flying tourbillon, equipped with a “mysterious” complication that gave the impression that the regulating organ was moving with no mechanical connection. Here, the lower bridge and lower support of the tourbillon carriage are made of sapphire glass and vanish like magic into the ether. Hiding the point of contact between the gears and carriage, the invisible drive powering the flying tourbillon produces a spellbinding effect.

For the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 returns in a platinum case. Still measuring a compact 38mm diameter, with a 10.2mm thickness, this watch retains the classic design of the brand, with a fluted caseband and straight, welded lugs with screwed. The other point of differentiation with the 250th anniversary edition is the dial. Matching the cold tone of the platinum case, the Tourbillon Sidéral 7255PT features a black aventurine enamel dial, and the chapter ring is crafted from gold and treated with a black finish. The finishing touch is the flying tourbillon raised to protrude 2.2mm above the plate and 0.9mm above the enamel dial. All elements of the dial, the hands, the Breguet numerals and the appliques, are rhodium-plated.

Inside the case is Breguet’s calibre 187M1. This manual-winding tourbillon calibre beating at 18,000vph, with a 50-hour power reserve and 23 jewels, is built around the brand’s long-running tourbillon calibre 588. It features a blue Breguet Nivachron balance-spring. On the caseback, the watch features a Quai de l’Horloge guilloché mainplate in rhodium-plated 18K Breguet gold.

The Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255PT for the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon is worn on a matte black alligator leather strap and is a limited edition of 50 pieces. It is priced at CHF 223,000.

Tradition Tourbillon 7047 Fusee and chain

One of the most fascinating watches in the brand’s catalogue, the Tradition Tourbillon 7047 is equipped with a fusée-and-chain system, a constant force device that is here paired with a tourbillon regulator. For the occasion of the 225th anniversary of the tourbillon, the brand unveils a bold and modern take on this highly technical watch, playing on shades of blue. Housed in a platinum case (41mm diameter, 16mm thickness), it is paired with a Bleu de France rubber strap with glacier blue topstitching, a theme that goes all across the watch.

This 7047PT mostly differentiates itself from the rest of the editions – see here – by its use of vivid colours. Mostly known in its classic monochromatic, grey version, this exceptional watch is here using Bleu de France for the dial and bridges, as well as its palladium gold enamel dial and the fusee-and-chain device, which contrasts with a glacier blue background applied to the mainplate of the movement. The same contrast between dark and glacier is used on the caseback. A small but nice detail, the traditional ruby-red jewel on the Tourbillon bar has, on this occasion, been replaced by a blue spinel, to ensure chromatic consistency.

At the heart of the watch is the Calibre 569, which combines the invention of Breguet (tourbillon) and another one from Leonardo da Vinci (the fusee-and-chain mechanism). This complex movement beats at 2.5Hz with a large one-minute tourbillon, fitted with a silicon balance-spring. The chain, composed of 232 links, and the fusée, ensure a constant delivery of torque during the entire duration of the 55h power reserve.

A limited edition of 25 pieces, the Tradition Tourbillon 7047PT for the tourbillon’s 225th anniversary will be priced at CHF 246,300.

The Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante

The last watch for the celebrations of the 225th anniversary of the Tourbillon is a complex, sporty take on the anti-gravity device, a new, full-platinum take on the bold Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887. Part of a collection released in 2017 (third generation) that pays tribute to A.-L. Breguet’s appointment as Horloger de la Marine Royale by Louis XVIII on 27 October 1815, the 5887 is the most complicated wristwatch in all of the brand’s contemporary collections, combining a slim automatic movement with a peripheral rotor, a tourbillon regulator, a running equation of time and a perpetual calendar. It is here treated in French blue, and worn on a platinum bracelet or a blue rubber strap with Quai de l’Horloge motif.

The dial is where this new edition shines, as it is presented in a historical livery with an exact, luminescent representation of the sky over Paris at midnight on 26 June 1801 – the date on which Breguet was granted his patent for the Tourbillon. Note that each watch can be personalised with the sky corresponding to a chosen date and location. The dial is composed of two parts. At the centre is a sapphire dial featuring a miniature painting done by hand in gradient-blue Grand Feu enamel that is translucent on its underside. On its upper surface is a hand-painted miniature painting in luminescent enamel depicting the night sky with its constellations and the moon. The display consists of the time, a perpetual calendar, the tourbillon and an equation of time, displaying the difference between conventional mean time and true solar time, which varies from -16 to +14 minutes depending on the time of year.

Housed in the 43.9mm platinum case is the in-house calibre 581DPE, with 4Hz tourbillon, silicon balance spring and 80h power reserve. The back is hand-engraved with a depiction of the 18th century ship Royal Louis, sailing across oceans rendered in Breguet gold to create an elegant contrast with the rhodium-plated sky and sea. A rosace motif – a first in the Marine collection – has been affixed to the barrel drum, hand-engraved and crafted in Breguet gold.

A limited edition of 25 pieces, the Breguet Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887PT will be priced at CHF 292,300 on rubber strap and CHF 370,700 on platinum bracelet. For more details, please visit breguet.com.