Breguet Celebrates 225 Years of the Tourbillon Watch Review
In 1801, Abraham-Louis Breguet, widely considered the greatest watchmaker of all time, patented the tourbillon. Breguet has chosen to celebrate 225 Years of the Tourbillon, releasing four new models, namely the Classique Tourbillon 7357, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255, the Tradition Tourbillon 7047 and the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887. US-based Meehna Goldsmith delves into watchmaking history before exploring the composition of these modern-day expressions of Haute Horlogerie.
Image – Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 Ref. 5887PT/YS/5WVSL
The tourbillon – patented in 1801
Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) received a patent for the tourbillon in 1801. Over two and a quarter centuries, it has evolved from a solution for precision into one of the defining visual signatures in watchmaking. At Breguet, the tourbillon represents more than a complication to master. It’s a recurring motif that showcases the technical sophistication, artistic beauty and heritage of the brand.
Image – Tourbillon
(Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Ref. 7357PT/1A/386)
Breguet Celebrates 225 Years of the Tourbillon – introduction
In celebration of the 225-year history of the tourbillon, Breguet has released four new models: Classique Tourbillon 7357, Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255, Tradition Tourbillon 7047 and Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887. Each one stays true to Breguet’s roots while advancing the art of mechanics and aesthetics, continuing to evolve the tourbillon for the 21st century.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Ref. 7357PT/1A/386
During his lifetime, Abraham-Louis Breguet’s workshop produced 40 completed tourbillons. After his death, the manufacture remained in the family with his son and then grandson running the business until 1870. At that point, the Brown family acquired the company and continued to own it for a century until 1970. During this latter period, Breguet remained in existence but wasn’t the powerhouse of innovation it once was.
Breguet Ref. 3350 (1989)
It was in 1970 that the Browns sold the brand to the Chaumet brothers. Under the guidance of Chaumet, François Bodet and Daniel Roth, Breguet was reinvigorated with the revival of traditional characteristics such as guilloché dials, fluted cases, blued hands, coin-edge cases and complicated movements. When Investcorp acquired Breguet in 1987, it continued investing in the renaissance that Chaumet had begun. In 1989, Breguet introduced the Ref. 3350, the first modern Breguet tourbillon wristwatch.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357
The Classique Tourbillon 7357 takes its cues from the Ref. 3350, featuring the Calibre 558, which is a favourite of collectors. The watch is pure of form and pared down to the essentials. The 30 mm movement fits beautifully within a 35 mm case without the need for a casing ring. Based on a version of the 558 movement, the new Cal. 187B beats at the historical 2.5 Hz. Hand guilloché is featured on the dial, case back and case band, finished off with two cartouches on the dial along with Breguet’s secret signature. Nothing extraneous.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Ref. 7357BH/1H/386
Price: £142,00 (RRP as of 14.7.2026)
The modern touches on the 7357 can be seen in the aesthetic codes drawn from the 250th anniversary collections of 2025: lugs that follow the curve of the wrist, Arabic numerals, an 18K gold dial and the brand’s signature guilloché patterns of Clous de Paris in the centre and Barleycorn around the periphery. Notice how the three arms of the tourbillon’s seconds hand curve to follow the contour of the tourbillon that’s positioned a few tenths of a millimetre below the level of the dial, creating depth and complexity. Instead of the single cross-through bridge, the new Cal. 187B now exhibits a double rounded-off polished ‘arched’ bridge, which is more difficult to execute.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Ref. 7357PT/1A/386
Price: £156,100 (RRP as of 14.7.2026)
The applied chapter ring, cartouche and small seconds subdial are constructed in 18K rhodium-plated Breguet gold, while the Breguet hour and minutes hands in 18K gold, blued in Bleu de France, circle round Breguet Arabic numerals. The Bleu de France theme continues to the three-armed curved seconds hand, also in 18K gold and blued in Bleu de France.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Ref. 7357PT/1A/386
To coincide with the release of the 7357, Breguet has developed a unique guilloché motif that adorns the movement’s baseplate, visible through the sapphire crystal. The case back was inspired by the iconic peak of the Dent de Vaulion in the Vallée de Joux, where the Breguet manufacture is located. To signal that this is an exceptional piece, four peripheral inlays that circle the movement are finished in a Bleu de France treatment.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Ref. 7357BH/1H/386
Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255
The new Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 assumes a special place in Breguet’s collection as the first wristwatch to incorporate a flying tourbillon. In addition, it features a ‘mysterious’ display that creates the illusion that the tourbillon isn’t connected to the movement and moves on its own. More than just a gifted horologist, Abraham-Louis Breguet had a deep interest in astronomy and physics, building scientific and precision instruments for his research and experiments.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Ref. 7255PT/2N/9VU
Price: £226,100 (RRP as of 14.7.2026)
The choice of the word tourbillon (French for whirlwind or vortex) to describe his chronometric invention was purposeful. In the 18th century, the French word tourbillon was also used in astronomy to describe the rotation of celestial bodies and systems. And, if you picture the tourbillon in motion, it evokes the image of planets revolving through space.
Set against the black aventurine enamel dial with green highlights, and in a 38 mm platinum, fluted case, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 certainly suggests a glimpse into the celestial beyond. The chapter ring is crafted from gold and then treated with a black finish, while the ‘Breguet’ and ‘Tourbillon’ appliqués are in rhodium-plated Breguet gold, as is the upper tourbillon bridge. Breguet hands circle Breguet numerals on the top half of the dial, providing a nice counterbalance to the tourbillon below.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Ref. 7255PT/2N/9VU
The back of the watch gets equal attention with the Quai de l’Horloge guilloché mainplate. Also notice how the underside of the tourbillon is finished with perlage, blued screws hold the geared sapphire plates in place and ruby-red jewels reduce friction while adding a soupçon of colour to the composition.
Image – Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Ref. 7255PT/2N/9VU
In a 50-piece limited edition, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 comes on a black large-scale alligator leather strap lined with black small-scale alligator leather and secures to the wrist with a triple-blade folding clasp in 950 platinum.
Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 – Bleu de France
Created in 2005, the Tradition collection found inspiration in Breguet’s Souscription watch, which was introduced around 1796–1797. To finance production, Breguet had customers reserve their timepiece with a deposit (subscription). The financial model was not only innovative, it proved successful. Between 1798 and 1805, Breguet sold nearly 700 watches.
For the tourbillon’s 225th birthday, the Tradition Tourbillon 7047, in a limited edition of 25 pieces, gets the distinction of being the most exclusive ever expression of the model. Presented in a 41 mm platinum case, this limited edition features the Bleu de France shade, the signature colour for Breguet’s exceptional creations and features a ‘secret signature’, hand-engraved using a pantograph.
Image – Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 Ref. 7047PT/YY/5ZU SL
Price: £249,700 (RRP as of 14.7.2026)
The Bleu de France colour accentuates the model’s enamel dial, which for the first time reads the time with Arabic numerals. The colour continues to the bridges of the tourbillon and the bridges of the fusée-and-chain, which appear on either side of the time subdial. Even the fusée-and-chain are executed in Bleu de France. This original colour debuted last year for the brand’s 250th anniversary. It’s a unique and bold choice to use just one hue, but this piece pulls it off with aplomb. In keeping with the colour scheme, the usual ruby-red jewel on the tourbillon bar has been substituted with a blue spinel.
Image – Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 Ref. 7047PT/YY/5ZU SL
(Breguet Celebrates 225 Years of the Tourbillon)
The tourbillon cage is made from lightweight titanium and fitted with a silicon balance spring. Working in conjunction with the one-minute tourbillon, the fusée-and-chain transmission of Calibre 569 helps increase precision. The fusée-and-chain mechanism works on the principle of constant torque. The chain unwinds around a cone (the fusée). As the circumference decreases, the torque decreases, countering the diminishing energy within the barrel, thereby delivering a constant force to the escapement.
Image – Breguet Tradition Tourbillon 7047 Ref. 7047PT/YY/5ZU SL
(Breguet Celebrates 225 Years of the Tourbillon)
Through the sapphire case back, the Bleu de France bridges are set against the glacier blue colour of the sandblasted main plate – the first time this Arctic hue has been used in Breguet’s colour palette. To complete the piece, Breguet adds a sporty touch with a Bleu de France rubber strap with glacier blue topstitching that secures with a triple-blade folding clasp in 950 platinum.
Breguet Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887
In the Marine collection, Breguet draws on the history between Abraham-Louis Breguet and the French Royal Navy. He was appointed to the Bureau des Longitudes on 10 December 1814. To honour this connection, Breguet released the Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887, the most complicated wristwatch in its contemporary collections. This piece shows the dial with an exact luminescent representation of the sky over Paris on June 26, 1801, the date on which Breguet received his patent for the tourbillon. However, the watch can be customised to a chosen date and location. In his lifetime, Abraham-Louis Breguet produced 78 marine chronometers. In fact, this is where Abraham-Louis first introduced Breguet Arabic numerals.
Image above – Breguet Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 Ref. 5887PT/YS/5WVSL
Price: £296,300 (RRP as of 14.7.2026)
Image above – Breguet Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 Ref. 5887PT/YS/PW0 SL
Price: £375,800 (RRP as of 14.7.2026)
Housed in a 43.9 mm platinum case, the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 combines a tourbillon, perpetual calendar and running equation of time with a celestial display unlike any other in Breguet’s current collection. The hand-guilloché gold dial depicts the oceans from a satellite perspective, while the rotating sky chart on the upper half of the dial tracks the night sky above the selected location. The equation of time indicates the difference between solar time and conventional civil time through a dedicated running hand, while the perpetual calendar indicates the correct day, date and month irrespective of the number of days in a month, even taking into account leap years. On the reverse, the movement continues Breguet’s tradition of decorative finishes, including a platinum peripheral weight, engraved with a ‘Quai de L’Horloge’ motif, dressed in blue. The barrel drum is hand-engraved and crafted in Breguet gold. Each decoration is beautifully executed and worthy of the illustrious marque.
Image – Breguet Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 Ref. 5887PT/YS/5WVSL
Closing remarks
Taken together, these four anniversary models demonstrate that the tourbillon remains as relevant to Breguet today as it was in 1801. Whether expressed through the restrained elegance of the Classique 7357, the celestial poetry of the Sidéral 7255, the exposed mechanics of the Tradition 7047 or the technical virtuosity of the Marine 5887, each watch reflects a different facet of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s greatest invention. More than 225 years after its patent, the tourbillon continues to evolve—remaining both the technical heart and one of the defining artistic signatures of the house that created it.