Up Close: Breguet Classique Souscription

Surprising on the upside.

Breguet got off to a good start for its 250th anniversary with the Classique Souscription, which despite being not an entirely new model in technical terms, is arguably the best watch the brand has launched in years, perhaps reflecting the influence of a new chief executive.

Powered by a calibre based on the longstanding Tradition movement, the one-handed Classique Souscription marries an atypical (for Breguet) 20th century case with a dial inspired by 19th century pocket watches – resulting in a surprisingly coherent creation that still feels quintessentially Breguet.

Initial thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised by the Classique Souscription. Breguet managed to take a familiar model and transform it into something different and appealing. The brand didn’t manage to do the same with the second anniversary model, which is essentially a rehash of the Tradition but with an enamel dial.

Sized just right, the Classique Souscription feels like it was conceived by an enthusiast with knowledge of vintage watches; the red leather-covered presentation box underlines that. The design is simple overall, but enhanced with details like a sharply finished single hand and “secret signature” engraved the old fashion way.

The form of the case is clearly early to mid 20th century, while the dial evokes the original Souscription pocket watch. Although the case and dial styles are 150 years apart, they complement each other almost perfectly; the result still looks very much like a Breguet.

The watch is executed well, inside and out, as illustrated by the form and finish of the single blued steel hand. The quality of make is also evident on the movement. While it’s not doubt decorated by machine in some aspects – as is the norm for a large, established brand – it also shows off hand finishing in some details. The overall effect is pleasing.

The movement also stands out despite being 20 years old. It’s still an original, interesting construction. While there are newer calibres with better specs on the market, they lack the novel layout of this movement. And the independents who offer elaborate time-only watches tend to employ movements based on tried and tested architecture, with the ETA Unitas 6497/6498 and Peseux 7001 being especially popular.

The only element of the watch I do not like, however, is in the movement. It’s the engraved text on the barrel cover that reproduces Abraham-Louis Breguet’s writings. It feels gimmicky and looks like a mismatched modern detail in an otherwise historically inspired calibre.

Priced a little under US$50,000, the Classique Souscription isn’t inexpensive but priced fairly considering the unique movement construction and high quality execution, especially today where the overall market is at a high. A comparable watch from a haute horlogerie brand, like Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin, would probably cost more. Incidentally, the Classique Souscription costs almost exactly the same as the Zenith G.F.J. with the revived cal. 135 that was also just launched this year.

If a newcomer independent watchmaker unveiled exactly the same thing, it would be twice as expensive but an easy sell – a fact that reflects the unfortunate relative weakness of the Breguet brand today.

Very classique

The Souscription is tidily sized at 40 mm by 10.8 mm. It’s small enough to feel a little vintage, as this case design should, but large enough for modern conventions. The flat crown is an especially nice detail that chimes with the retro style. And most importantly, it feels good on the wrist.

The case design departs from the conventional Breguet style of a fluted band and straight lugs. Instead it has a vintage style that is pretty generic for the mid 20th century, but historically correct as Breguet made watches like this during that period.

As is expected for Breguet, the case is done well. Admittedly it’s simpler in form than the usual fluted style, but it’s as good as it gets for this form. The one bit of decoration is the guilloche around the rim of the case band, a wavy pattern known as “Quai de l’Horloge” that was developed for the anniverary models.

Like the case, the dial is also simple, but it carries more detail.

The dial is fired enamel, white and domed, as it should be in order to replicate the look of the souscription pocket watch of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which was the closest thing to a mass-produced watch that A.-L. Breguet made. The markings are all printed, but the “secret signature” just above six o’clock is engraved with a manual pantograph, essentially a hand-operated milling machine, just like how it was done in A.-L. Breguet’s time.

The single hour hand is a particularly pleasing detail, though it is not especially functional since it only indicates the time approximately, to the closest five minutes more or less.

Also modelled on the souscription pocket watch, the single hand is blued steel, with chamfered edges and a mirrored countersink for the hub. Notably, the hand sits on a cannon pinion with a large, obvious square profile, again echoing the pocket watch.

Tradition mechanics

The VS00 movement is probably the least novel aspect of the watch. It is clearly based on the manual-wind calibre found in the original Tradition model of 2005, but modified in several ways, most obviously to relocate the hands to the front (which was the back on the 2005 model).

The base plate is hand engraved with the bread name and serial number, while the rest of the movement engraving is done by machine

Repeating the theme of the watch, the architecture is based on the souscription pocket watch. It has the same symmetrical layout that exposes most of the moving parts. The calibre is beautiful and ranks amongst the most distinctive 21st century movements constructed.

Even the technical details of the pocket watch movement are replicated, including the pare-chute shock absorber for the balance staff and the curved spokes of the gears. The balance wheel, however, is clearly modern, and might just be in titanium, while its regulating weights are gold.

The finishing of the movement lives up to expectations. Many of the finer details appear to have been finished by hand, including the chamfered spokes of the wheels and bevelling on the finger cocks. The steel spring of the pare-chute is a good example of fine steel work. But the engraving on the barrel cover is too much decoration; I would happily forgo this.

Concluding thoughts

The Classique Souscription proves several points: Breguet can make an interesting, appealing watch without actually doing that much; the Breguet aesthetic is strong yet versatile enough to accommodate a newish look like this; and Breguet still makes high quality high horology despite its industrially minded parent. It’s a good start to the 250th anniversary and I hope the brand keeps up the momentum.