Breguet: Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255

With the new Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Breguet unveils the fourth chapter of its 250th anniversary celebrations. Presented on June 26, 2025, in homage to the 26th of June 1801 when Abraham- Louis Breguet obtained a patent for his invention of the iconic tourbillon. This exclusive watch will have a limited production run of only 50 timepieces. 

BREGUET’S FIRST FLYING TOURBILLON

A.-L. Breguet (1747-1823) imagined the tourbillon towards the end of the 18th century, while being careful not to set out its definitive technical aspects. As a perpetual inventor, driven by an unending desire to advance the science of watchmaking, he was aware that he had forged a principle, not a finite, immutable device. He himself experimented with numerous forms, altering its design, oscillation frequency, speed of rotation or escapement (lever, detent or natural). Breguet, which signed its watches “Breguet et fils” in the early 1800s, would itself devote more than thirty years to this project. Some forty tourbillons were produced between 1796 and 1829. 

Today, by developing its first flying tourbillon, Breguet is continuing in the spirit of the great watchmaker A.- L. Breguet by returning to the foundations of the tourbillon to offer a doubly different interpretation: flying and mysterious. 

The flying tourbillon is a variant of the traditional tourbillon. Its purpose (to compensate for the effects of gravity on the balance wheel by rotating the cage that houses it) is therefore unchanged. Unlike the traditional tourbillon, the flying tourbillon’s cage is supported only by its lower bridge, without an upper bar. It is thus held solely from below. 

Its design and construction are more complex, however, since the tourbillon cage is no longer supported by a pivot at the top, only at its base. This means it must be more solidly constructed, better balanced and more finely adjustable than a normal tourbillon. 

A MYSTERIOUS DESIGN 

Breguet has accentuated the suspended effect of its first flying tourbillon, by adding the mysterious complication. The mysterious complication consists of imparting a movement to an organ without it being visibly linked to the rest of the movement. 

The mysterious tourbillon is a striking complication which has been mastered by Breguet watchmakers. The lower bridge and the lower support of the tourbillon carriage, are, for this model, made of sapphire glass with an antireflective coating, rendering them invisible. The point of contact between the gears and the carriage is not visible; it is offset from the tourbillon cutout and therefore hidden from view by the dial. 

The Classique 7255 thus incorporates both a mysterious and a flying tourbillon. This results from the combination of a regulator with an invisible drive that extends above the movement. Altogether, it creates a levitation effect and enhances visibility of the mechanism. 

ASTRONOMICAL AESTHETICS

With the new Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Breguet has, for the first time in its history, chosen to create a dial with aventurine enamel. A tribute to astronomy and the observation of the starry sky, its deep blue is punctuated with sparkling inclusions, shining like the stars that adorn the celestial vault. 

The art of aventurine dates back to the early 17th century and has been constantly perfected ever since. For this model, Breguet chose to work it like grand feu enamel. 

At least five layers of aventurine are necessary to make this dial, each layer must be fired in a kiln at over 800 degrees Celsius. And each firing is highly sensitive and requires great precision: firing for too long, or at too high a temperature, can result in the dial being permanently compromised. 

Given that each aventurine enamel dial is hand-crafted no two will ever be same, as such, all 50 examples of the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 are essentially unique pieces. 

DECORATIONS AND BREGUET GOLD

The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 is crafted in Breguet gold. This proprietary alloy was unveiled during the first chapter of the 250th anniversary celebrations. Its warm, subtly pink hue is inspired by the gold used by 18th century watchmakers, including Breguet. It is composed of 75% gold, enriched with silver, copper and palladium. Beyond its brilliance, it is distinguished by its resistance to discolouration and its stability over time. 

For the first time, the recently unveiled Quai de l’Horloge guilloché is executed not only in a circular pattern on the case back and tourbillon support, but also in a linear fashion across the entire movement main plate. This guilloche motif’s design is inspired by the delicate curves of the river Seine as it flows around the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis. 

On the dial side, each piece is adorned with the brand’s secret signatures, complementing the many other traditional Breguet design codes such as the finely fluted case middle, the straight lugs and the Breguet “hollowed apple” hands. On the back, each piece is individually numbered from 1/50 to 50/50. (Price 190,000 CHF)