An extremely fine 18ct gold limited-edition anniversary Souscription wristwatch with enamel dial

The Classique Souscription 2025 was the first 250^th-year anniversary model unveiled by Breguet. Upon its release, it instantly captured the spirit of the anniversary year, inspiring unparalleled enthusiasm within the international watch community.

This timepiece was announced at a special celebratory event hosted by Mr. Gregory Kissling at the famous Breguet Boutique and Museum on Place Vendôme in Paris. Simultaneously, collectors around the world were able to discover this highly anticipated model in Breguet boutiques worldwide.

The watch is directly inspired by the original Souscription, which first appeared in the archives in 1796, prior to its formal launch in 1797. Over the following thirty years, around 700 Souscription watches were made, always following two guiding principles:

• To create a reliable watch with a large case, a white enamel dial, and a movement of simple architecture featuring a single-hand indication.
• To require clients to pay one quarter of the price in advance when placing an order, allowing Breguet to acquire the materials needed to produce each piece.

The Classique Souscription 2025 faithfully pays tribute to its ancestor by preserving the defining aesthetic and technical elements of the original, such as the single blued-steel hand, the enamel dial, and the beautifully balanced movement architecture. The watch can even be ordered in a similar way to the original, with a deposit paid at the time of order and the balance due upon delivery a few months later.

The white enamel dial bears a secret signature at 6 o’clock combining three elements: the word Souscription, the unique number of the watch, and the Breguet signature. This discreet feature is executed using a diamond-point pantograph, employing a technique similar to that used by Breguet in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Breguet has also developed a special sapphire crystal with a “chevé” profile, thinner and less domed to blend perfectly with the case. The new 40 mm case design employs a special gold alloy composed of gold, silver, copper, and palladium to ensure stability and resistance to discolouration. This new alloy has been named “Breguet gold.”

The movement’s architecture is directly inspired by the Souscription developed by the Maison’s founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and offers an impressive four-day power reserve. The plate and bridges are beautifully shot-blasted and secured by blued-steel screws, in the purest grande tradition of Breguet. At the centre of the dial, the ratchet wheel is finely engraved with the description of the Souscription movement taken from Abraham-Louis Breguet’s 1797 advertising brochure.

The Classique Souscription 2025 seamlessly blends tradition and innovation. As Mr. Gregory Kissling aptly remarked, “this watch is the link between what we wish to share of the history of Breguet and our desire to perpetuate this history going forward.”

Sotheby’s is extremely honoured to present this very special example of the Classique Souscription 2025.

It is very important to note that the present lot is numbered 250, which is the very first watch of the series, further elevating its collectability.

Furthermore, Montres Breguet intend to donate the proceeds from the sale of this superb and special timepiece to support the patronage led by Montres Breguet since 2006 for the Chateau de Versailles, notably for the restoration of the Petit Trianon and its surrounding, so dear to Queen Marie-Antoinette.