BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Every year is a celebration of something in the watch industry; someone always has a birthday or anniversary. 2025 was definitely a big year for special releases, and the best performing, in my opinion, was Breguet – and it was definitely needed. Look, I love Breguet; I am a fanboy, I admit, but I had thought in recent years it’d gone a bit stale. Naturally, like anyone whose love for something wasn’t entirely rational, I clung on dearly to the hopes that they’d change their ways and look how I’ve been rewarded. As I wrote, 2025 was a standout year for ‘the innovator’, and 2026 is going well with the introduction of five new watches to mark the 225th anniversary of the invention of the tourbillon.
The idea for the tourbillon is not likely to have originally belonged to Abraham-Louis Breguet, celebrated for his invention though he may be. It is likely that the origins of the tourbillon date back to Breguet’s English watchmaking friend, John Arnold, though Arnold passed away before getting anywhere with it. Breguet worked on the tourbillon, a method to counteract gravity’s effects on a mechanical watch’s escapement by constantly rotating it, and installed his very first one in Arnold’s pocket watch number 11 in tribute to his friend.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357
Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 7357PT/1A/386
The first two models raised the most eyebrows when unveiled, as they indicate a return to when Breguet was headed by legendary watchmaker Daniel Roth, who’d dreamt up the reference 3350, a classy tourbillon dress watch showing that special escapement mechanism front and centre. The new pieces do that as well, with the tourbillon placed on the lower half of the dial and suspended by a bridge. The new 7357 pieces keep the same form factor as before, with cases measuring just 35mm x 9.2mm, and they both look incredible, whether you go for the platinum with that gorgeous grey dial or the 18k Breguet gold version.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 7357BH/1H/386
Barleycorn guilloché surrounds the dial; meanwhile, the centre of the hours and minutes display has Clous des Paris guilloché within it. Inside both watches sits the calibre 187B, which shares components with the older reference from the Daniel Roth era. A Nivachron balance spring and silicon escapement modernise the calibre, which has a 60-hour power reserve and a stately 2.5Hz beat rate. There’s also a brand-new guilloché pattern covering the movement’s backside, called Dent de Vaulion, the peak of the Vallée de Joux. These watches are permanently in the collection and cost CHF140,000 in Breguet gold and CHF154,000 in platinum.
Breguet Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887
Breguet Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 5887PT/YS/5WVSL
I thought it was odd when Breguet removed the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante from its website, and now I know why: to show off the new version. Equipped with a tourbillon, an equation of time display, and a perpetual calendar, it’s one of the most complicated watches Breguet makes. The starry sky dial of the new watch represents the arrangement of the stars over Paris on 26 June 1801, when Breguet received his patent for the tourbillon, but I’m sure they can customise that to a different set of constellations if the buyer has another date in mind. The painting sits over a Grande Feu enamel dial with a blue gradient that adds depth and richness. The movement, the calibre 581DPE, remains unchanged from the old version to this new one, except for the extra gold filling at the back of the movement, where the engraving of the Royal Louis ship is located. A peripheral rotor winds the calibre for a total of 80 hours of power reserve, and the balance beats at 4Hz.
Both versions of the watch feature a solid platinum case measuring 43.9mm x 11.8mm with 100m of water resistance. On the rubber strap, the price of one of these is CHF292,300, and if you wanted the platinum bracelet, that price rises to an eye-watering CHF370,000. Only 25 of these will be made in total.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 7255PT/2N/9VU Aventurine Black
I have seen the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral before, in its debut blue version from 2025’s 250th-anniversary celebrations, so I don’t plan to dwell on it too much, but it deserves a look, as it is beautiful. The 38mm x 10.2mm platinum case works beautifully with the black aventurine glass, just as last year’s version pairs Breguet gold and blue so well. The mysteriously floating tourbillon remains at 6 O’clock, part of the calibre 187M1, which is manually wound with a 60-hour power reserve and a 2.5Hz beat rate. The baseplate of the movement, decorated with Quai de l’Horloge guilloché, is made of Breguet gold but has been rhodium-plated to match the platinum case. This watch is limited to 50 pieces, each priced at CHF220,000.
Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 7047PT/YY/5ZUSL
The Classique might make up Breguet’s staunchest dress watches, but it’s the Tradition range that generally gets people talking the most, as it shows a lot of the movement’s mechanics on the front of its watches. That’s no different for the Tradition Tourbillon 7047, which, I think, can rival independent Swiss watchmakers just fine. This new version features a silvery appearance with Bleu de France accents on the tourbillon cage, the fusée chain, the cocks used to secure everything, and even the small time dial. A blue spinel is even used to secure the tourbillon’s pinion in place, instead of a ruby, which would have shown up in all that blue. The calibre 569 has a 55-hour power reserve and a 2.5Hz beat rate; it’s manually wound, which just means you get to pick up and appreciate the watch all the more. But with its platinum case measuring 41mm x 16mm, you’ll definitely want to wear it. Its retail price of CHF246,300 and its limited availability (just 25 pieces) will likely be limiting factors. It’s nice to dream, though.
What do you think of Breguet’s latest offerings? Do you think that they’re worth the cost and that the maison is back on track? Let us know in the comments!
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