Abraham-Louis Breguet must be the most renowned horologist of all time. Watchmaker, clockmaker, and consummate inventor, he is best known for his technical achievements—the invention of the tourbillon, the ‘pare-chute’ shock absorber, the Breguet overcoil in balance springs, the Sympathique clock, and more.
View more photos of the watchmaking process
But he was also a businessman, and one can seldom run a business on expensive, exotic superlatives alone. In the late 1790s, he developed the Souscription watch—a made-to-order service that provided simple, but precise and reliable pocket watches that required a quarter of the payment up front. Marketed as practical tools, their subscription model and minimalist architecture enabled Breguet’s workshops to produce around 700 of these timepieces over 30 years or so.
Meanwhile, Breguet, the company, was founded in 1775, which means it celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, it is reviving the Souscription. One of the defining features of the Souscription was its single hand, indicating the hour; but, as a pocket watch with a diameter of around 60mm, it was still possible to read the time at least to the nearest five minutes. The new version, known as the Classique Souscription 2025, brings the same single-hand format to a wristwatch 40mm in diameter—still possible to read accurately, if one did not want to resort to their phone.
View more photos of Breguet’s creations
The Classique Souscription 2025 otherwise borrows heavily from design elements of Abraham-Louis’ era. The dial is plain white enamel—immaculate—while the sapphire glass is chevé style, meaning it curves downwards at the edges and blends into the form of the case. The single, flame-blued hand—in classic Breguet style, of course—points to a railroad track-style set of markers that differentiate between five-, 10-, 15-, and 30-minute intervals, making it surprisingly legible. There is a hidden signature and serial number at six o’clock on the dial, visible only under close inspection, which was an anti-counterfeiting measure back in the Abraham-Louis days. Today, it is created in a very similar way, with a diamond-tipped pantograph, as opposed to more modern methods. In fact, Breguet acquired a period-correct pantograph for the purpose.
View more photos of the watch being worn
It is not just about history, though. The Classique Souscription 2025 innovates with case material. For this watch, Breguet is debuting its own gold alloy: Breguet gold, an 18k alloy that combines gold with silver, copper, and palladium. Its pinkish hue is resistant to discolouration and corrosion, giving it a long-lasting shine. The case itself is an elegant 10.8mm in thickness and, in a move that befits a watch of simplicity, the brand’s signature fluting on the case middle has been left out.
Breguet, both historically and presently, is no stranger to complications, so opening the brand’s 250th anniversary with something so simple may come as a bit of a surprise. But perhaps it is in keeping with the times, as simpler, subtler, and more elegant vintage-inspired watches seem to be gaining a heightened appreciation. The Classique Souscription 2025 is faithful to its past but is also a highly usable contemporary dress watch, with a distinctive aesthetic and a lot of subtle details to admire.
