Introducing: The Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255

Breguet didn’t choose any random date for the release of the new Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255. June 26th marks the 224th anniversary of the tourbillon, one of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s most notable inventions. Actually, June 26th, 1801, was when Breguet’s invention was patented.

Inventor of the tourbillon

Interestingly, in those first years around the patent, Breguet produced 40 watches with tourbillons. Breguet Head of Patrimony Emmanuel Breguet (yes, a descendant of Abraham-Louis) shares that the watchmaker produced the first three working tourbillon watches before 1801. In the first 10 years after the patent’s granting, Breguet also sold 10 tourbillons. Among the buyers were George III and George IV of England and Ferdinand VII of Spain. Later, Breguet sold another 10 tourbillons to shipowners and captains for precise timekeeping on their ships. Accuracy was essential for navigation at sea. Some of these early tourbillons are now on display at the Breguet museum in Paris and the British Museum. Others ended up in different museums or with private collectors.

Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255

It took until 1990 for Breguet to introduce a wristwatch (reference 3350) that featured a tourbillon mechanism. I have tried and reviewed its successor, the 3357, which stayed in production until last year. Since 1990, Breguet has introduced many models with tourbillon mechanisms in the Classique, Marine, and Tradition collections. However, this new Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 is the first with a flying (and mysterious) tourbillon mechanism.

The tourbillon cage is only held from below (on a lower bridge) and has no upper bar. Thus, it appears to be floating. As only the base is supporting it, the construction needs to be very solid and better balanced. Furthermore, this flying tourbillon shows no visible connection to the rest of the movement. As the lower bridge and supporting parts are sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating, this renders them nearly invisible. The location where the tourbillon connects to the rest of the movement is outside the (visible) aperture in the dial. Hence, this flying tourbillon is also a mysterious one.

Aventurine with copper sprinkles

As you can see in the pictures, the dial features aventurine enamel. First, five layers of aventurine are fired in a kiln at over 800° Celsius. Then, the dial maker sprinkles this base with copper particles that represent the stars. According to Breguet, it’s a tribute to astronomy and observing the starry sky. These hand-crafted dials ensure that no dial on each of these 50 Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 watches is identical.

We find the wording “Breguet” and “Tourbillon” on the dial as appliques on top of the aventurine. Sitting off-center at 12 is a dial for the hours and minutes. This gold hour circle displays concentric satin brushing and a treatment of blue PVD. It has the typical Breguet numerals painted on it in a matching gold color. The hands are 18K gold as well. Needless to say, all the gold you see is the proprietary Breguet gold alloy.

Caliber 187M1

Due to its precision, Breguet chose to use the term Sidéral for this Classique Tourbillon, referring to time measurement based on the fixed positions of stars rather than the Sun. Breguet’s latest introduction used the hand-wound caliber 187M1. This movement ticks at a 2.5Hz (18,000vph) frequency and offers 50 hours of power reserve. Excluding the protruding 2.2mm-thick tourbillon, the movement has a 30mm diameter and a mere 4.8mm thickness. Breguet’s 178M1 consists of 183 components, including 23 jewels. The decoration of the mainplate is simply stunning! It goes by the name Quai de l’Horloge guilloché and finds its inspiration from the Seine River, where Breguet’s workshop once was on the Île de la Cité in Paris. Again, 18K Breguet gold also makes up the movement’s bridges.

As stated above, the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 will be a limited edition of 50 pieces, with all featuring an individual number engraving on the rim of the case back.

Breguet is having a splendid 250th anniversary year with all these new watches crafted in the brand’s new gold alloy. The weight of all the gold used for each watch is 84 grams.

Some afterthoughts on the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255

Breguet made a smart choice by creating this new Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 in a 38mm case. It’s the perfect size for many, and thanks to the long lugs, it’s very comfortable for those with larger wrists. The case band features the traditional coin-edge pattern, and the welded lugs have a small screw on the back that secures the strap’s spring bar.

I’m a big fan of aventurine dials, and they complement the rosy hue of the 18K Breguet gold case and other elements beautifully. Although I’m not the biggest fan of visible tourbillon mechanisms, they are an important part of Breguet’s heritage. If I ever get the chance to own a tourbillon watch, it will most definitely be a Breguet, purely for historical reasons.

For all specifications, see below. The retail price of the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 is CHF 190,000 (inc. taxes).