A look at one’s own past is part of the marketing basics of pretty much every watch brand. Hardly any other manufacturer can look at a history like Breguet. During his lifetime, Abraham Louis Breguet was probably the most important watchmaker of his time, and he is still the most famous today. However, the newly launched Classique Souscription 2025 is far more than a reference to his own history. It is a reminder of a pocket watch that was of great importance to Breguet and at the same time shows how the new CEO Gregory Kissling wants to position the company more strongly.
Today, the Breguet boutique and museum can be found on Place Vendôme in Paris. However, true admirers of the brand are also drawn to the Quai de l’Horloge, now number 39, on l’Îlede la Cité. This is where Abraham Louis Breguet’s workshop was located at the end of the 18th century.
Henry Ford may have changed the automotive industry in a more extreme way with his assembly line production, and Steve Jobs may have brought more disruption to the world with the iPhone, but it is not presumptuous to attribute a similar significance to Breguet’s life’s work. His work and innovations still characterise the trade today. He is considered the inventor of the first automatic watch. In 1810, he designed the first watch with a strap for Caroline Bonaparte. He invented a natural escapement without needing any oil. The hands and numerals named after him are used today by a wide variety of brands and are regarded as the epitome of class. And the tourbillon he developed – built to minimise the position-dependent, gravity-related rate deviations – is still regarded by collectors as the ultimate status symbol construction.
The subscription model devised by Breguet was just as important, albeit more of a business concept. With so many kings and tsars among his customers, it is easy to forget that the watchmaker of the wealthiest personalities of his time was also subject to financial obligations. In order to better meet these obligations, he sold his so-called subscription watch from 1796 onwards. The pocket watch with enamel dial and single-hand display had an impressive diameter of 61 millimetres. Breguet wanted to attract new customers with this model. The single hand was intended to simplify readability. He advertised the watch with a brochure, an absolute novelty in this trade. But above all, anyone who wanted to buy the model had to pay Breguet a quarter of the price at the time. This enabled the master watchmaker to cover wages, material costs and other operating expenses even before the watch was handed over and finally sold. This new practice made it possible for him to produce larger quantities. Around 700 pieces of the subscription pocket watch are said to have been produced by 1805.
Owners of the new Classique Souscription 2025 will be reminded of this important part of Breguet’s history. The model was deliberately chosen by the new CEO of the manufacture, Gregory Kissling, to open the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the brand. The Classique Souscription 2025 is unmistakably a Breguet with a historical role model, it maintains the design codes of the manufacture and yet is quite different from the earlier models in the Classique range.
The Grand Feu enamel dial with Breguet numerals is typical of Breguet – in keeping with the company’s tradition, these are used exclusively for fired dials. The flame-blued Breguet hand with its open tip and the almost invisible, concealed signature, supplemented in this model by the word Souscription, are also typical of the collection. Both can only be seen in the right light.
What is completely new, however, is the 40-millimetre case made of Breguet gold. The new, in-house alloy of gold, silver, copper and palladium is lighter and softer than conventional red gold alloys. This soft appearance is further emphasised by the satin-finished middle section and curved lugs. Both are much straighter on the well-known models in the Classique collection and ultimately have a more austere appearance.
The new VS00 calibre, which is made from gold-plated brass, can be seen through the sapphire crystal case back. The colour of the movement echoes the colour of the gold-plated case.
The back of the case is also guilloché in a new style, which Breguet has christened “Quai de l’Horloge”, inspired by the shape of l’Île de la Cité.
The Classique Souscription 2025 is undoubtedly a watch that at least makes the observer wonder whether everything was better in the past. It is not just about its appearance, even if the latest member of the Classique family is clearly inspired by the much larger pocket watch, and this appearance tells of a different era. What makes this watch so magical is the fact that it displays the time with just one hand. It may be that over two hundred years ago it was not quite so important to know the time to the minute, but what is much more important is what the single-handed watch does to the observer – then as now. The focus here is on getting a feeling for one’s own time, appreciating it and being more aware of it.
The latest creation from Breguet shows how Gregory Kissling understands horological elegance: The Souscription 2025 is immaculately crafted, and its ergonomics are softer than its Classique predecessors. The packaging in a red case is a nod to history – the keyword here is retro look – while the materials and design take big steps forward. Viewed as a whole, this release is not just a good watch, but one that builds a relationship with the observer or even the owner.
In terms of distribution, Breguet is taking a step backwards with this model. The brand is now part of the Swatch Group and thus stands on solid economic pillars. Nevertheless, buyers of the Classique Souscription 2025 will have to pay a quarter of the price of 52,300 euros when ordering. The watch will then be produced within one to three months and delivered after full payment. The faster you subscribe, the sooner the watch will be ready.
Reviving this model may seem like a gimmick in view of Breguet’s size. And perhaps the main reason for doing so is that it fits in with the inspiration of 1796. At the same time, this payment construct emphasises the value of the watch: with his down payment, the buyer commits to his decision – it makes the purchase binding. In addition, it draws attention to what every mechanical watch is: a piece of craftsmanship in which labour and time have been invested. What’s more, this anniversary reference brings new attention and recognition to the subscription model. Because apart from the fact that even Ferrari requires a deposit when ordering a sports car: smaller watch brands and so-called ‘independents’, for example, continue to use the subscription method to secure cash flow. The fact that Breguet is now honouring the long tradition of this type of advance payment with its own special model and attracting attention can only help all those manufacturers who would not be able to do business without it. Which would certainly be in the spirit of Abraham Louis Breguet.
