s revolution raged in France, where he had served both the king and the queen, in 1793 Abraham-Louis Breguet found safe haven in Le Locle, in his native Neuchâtel, and may well have wondered what the future held. Never one to let circumstance decide his fate, and blessed with a business sense as sharply honed as his eye for design and his mechanical genius, he imagined a novel commercial method that would sustain his workshop during his absence: subscription, or in today’s language, crowdfunding.

It was a simple yet brilliant idea: by finding buyers prior to launching production, he could be certain that every piece would sell (thus circumventing a difficulty of today’s watch industry, which must adjust supply to fluctuating demand). Returning to his workshop in Paris, where he employed a dozen watchmakers, over a period of some thirty years Abraham-Louis Breguet produced some 700 souscription watches, the first of which he delivered in 1797. This was a considerable amount for the time, comparable to modern serial production, and another departure from usual practice. He even pioneered an early form of watch advertising and had a pamphlet printed, setting out details of the scheme.

The first reference to “Souscription” appears in Breguet’s sales registers in 1796. This single-hand model was introduced from 1797.

Symbolically perhaps, it is this model — the mark of a new era that opened Breguet to a larger clientele — that initiates the 250th-anniversary celebrations of a brand which, since last October, has been led by Chief Executive Gregory Kissling. Like Abraham-Louis Breguet, Kissling is native to Neuchâtel and well versed in both the commercial and industrial realities of watchmaking (having spent many years as head of product management at Omega, Swatch Group’s flagship brand).

Gregory Kissling, CEO of Breguet

Like the souscription pocket watch, the Classique Souscription 2025 is a non-limited model which buyers order by making a down payment of a quarter of the price (CHF 45,000) then paying the balance on delivery. It transposes the white enamel dial and simplified movement construction (though not the 61mm diameter) of the original to a wristwatch. This is a Breguet, surely it has a tourbillon? Wrong! Contrary to expectations, the brand is launching its anniversary celebrations with a single-hand display.

“Chevé” crystal and Breguet gold

Simplicity and refinement are captured in every detail: a pristine white grand feu enamel dial; a single, open-tipped Breguet hand in flame-blued steel, heated to exactly 290°C (a process previously reserved for restoration work); lightly sloping Breguet Arabic numerals; a circular chemin de fer track with sectoring to indicate the hours and the 5, 10, 15 and 30 minute marks in the same black petit feu enamel as the Breguet signature at 12 o’clock.

The single, open-tipped Breguet hand in steel is flame-blued and curved by an artisan.

Beauty resides elsewhere too, in elements that are not visible at first glance, such as the secret signature just below the centre of the dial that appears only in certain light conditions. Breguet added this feature to the souscription pocket watch as a marker of authenticity and to protect against counterfeiting. For the 250th-anniversary model, a diamond-point pantograph with articulated arms has been restored, to delicately engrave this guarantee into the enamel.

A feature of the original souscription watch, the secret signature is engraved using a pantograph whose articulated arms enable an exact reproduction.

Another of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s innovations is the “chevé” sapphire crystal whose relatively flat surface gently curves towards its edge to seamlessly blend with the case.

The new Breguet gold is a precious alloy of gold with silver, copper and palladium, with a blond hue.

Not everything is an adaptation of the great man’s innovations. The Classique Souscription 2025 introduces a proprietary alloy, Breguet gold, that is 75% gold enriched with silver, copper and palladium (Gregory Kissling developed several alloys during his tenure at Omega). Its warm blond colour is inspired by what was known in the eighteenth century as “watchmakers’ gold” and which had to satisfy requirements of resistance, durability and aesthetic. This Breguet gold serves for the case, which measures 40mm in diameter and 10.8mm high. So as to respects the style of the original watches, the habitual fluting on the caseband has been replaced by a satin-brushed finish.

Quai de l’Horloge guilloché

The back of this first 250th-anniversary model is engraved with an original guilloché pattern named Quai de l’Horloge (the master watchmaker’s address in Paris) that borrows the curved contours of Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis. Guilloché is, of course, another of Breguet’s hallmarks.

The case back is decorated with Quai de l’Horloge guilloché, a new pattern that was unveiled this year.

The new VS00 calibre in gilded brass replicates the colour of Breguet gold and recreates the original movement’s architecture. It beats at a frequency of 3Hz or 21,600 vibrations per hour. A single barrel provides four days of power reserve. The blued balance spring in non-magnetic NivachronTM, a titanium alloy, features a Breguet overcoil. Plate and bridges exhibit a shotblasted finish, a new decoration inspired by the movements of Abraham-Louis Breguet.

The movement architecture is directly inspired by that of the first souscription watches, signed A.-L. Breguet.

An inscription engraved on the large ratchet wheel explains the design of the souscription movement. Taken from the advertising pamphlet, it is reproduced in the watchmaker’s distinctive cursive.

The Classique Souscription 2025 is presented in a special anniversary calf leather box, modelled on the red Moroccan leather cases favoured by Abraham-Louis Breguet. For all the world as though it were the original souscription watch sitting before our eyes.

A legacy reclaimed

Breguet hands, Breguet numerals, Breguet overcoil: Abraham-Louis Breguet’s legacy has become part of industry parlance. All brands, including Breguet’s contemporary “competitors”, refer to his inventions. Such ubiquity of the Breguet name is symptomatic of the challenge facing the Manufacture, which must constantly defend its primacy, its territory, its singularity when so many others lay claim to the distinctive style established by its founder. So profound and lasting is Breguet’s influence, he has not one but many heirs.

At a time when luxury’s cardinal values are exclusivity and differentiation, this reappropriation of the souscription model, adopted by countless others since, appears to set the direction the brand and Gregory Kissling intend to take.

The Classique Souscription 2025 is the first in a succession of models that will launch across all the collections in celebration of the brand’s 250th anniversary. This is the first time Breguet has almost identically reproduced a pocket watch in wristwatch form, respecting as closely as possible the architecture of the original timepiece.

“The challenge is to convey this history. There is nothing more authentic than what we are doing here, in this Manufacture,” offers Kissling. “We have all the ingredients and will make best use of them, through new communication.” Alongside Gregory Kissling as its new CEO, the brand has a newly appointed marketing director and sales director.

After a market dominated for years by luxury sports watches, whose bubble on the pre-owned market has now burst, the period ahead appears more favourable to the Breguet style, as Kissling explains: “The tendency is leaning towards classicism and quiet luxury. Sartorial elegance is back in the spotlight. In truth, ours is a timeless style, independent of cycles or trends, which exists through periods that can be more or less favourable.”

Unlike others, Breguet isn’t dependent on one (or several) icons. It has an overarching, inherently classical aesthetic. Visitors to the Manufacture discover one of the finest production facilities anywhere in the industry, but this pursuit of mechanical and aesthetic perfection also engenders a form of discretion and humility in a space where, like it or not, a brand is distinguished by its capacity to create media buzz. A 250th anniversary is the opportunity for a company to step back into the spotlight, and when that company is Breguet, a name that leaves no-one indifferent, a name to which everyone feels some form of attachment, expectations are even greater.

A world tour and an auction

Among the many highlights of this 250th year will be the presentation of the anniversary models at various locations and spread over the year. “We are embarking on a world tour that begins in Paris, with the Souscription, and will end in Versailles,” notes Gregory Kissling. “There will be an anniversary model in every collection and we will emphasise the connection between the watch and the launch venue. It will be a year-long conversation, each time anchored in a particular location and with global coverage.”

A further landmark, one that harks back to the golden age of themed watch auctions, will take place in November when Sotheby’s will hold a dedicated Breguet sale. This is an essential component in a landscape where desirability is largely shaped by the ability to hold value over the long term, even after corrections in the pre-owned market these past two years. Here, too, Breguet has an opportunity to show off and reclaim its legacy, at a particularly judicious point in its history.

“We are offering our assistance to authenticate lots,” comments Gregory Kissling. “This is part of our very open policy with respect to the authentication and, where necessary, restoration of antique pieces. These two markets coexist but innovation remains our priority, including how we can enhance the customer experience at our points of sale.”

Again and again, the new CEO comes back to this pursuit of innovation — which was, after all, at the core of his previous role. It is also what best defines the mindset of Abraham-Louis Breguet, a man who allowed himself to redefine the watchmaking of his day and whose heirs are intent on innovating in ways that respect his legacy. Such a complex, contradictory equation is that of watchmaking as a whole and one that seeks a fruitful, sinuous balance.

Gregory Kissling believes “we will stand out through innovation. We can play with the brand’s codes but they will always exist. Breguet has a soul that cannot be denatured.” Reclaiming a legacy through the subscription model, transcending it through Breguet gold: this debut anniversary model could well have a hidden message…