Breguet has enjoyed a great 250th anniversary year – one that promises to end with a big reveal in early December – with several commemorative editions launched for the occasion. The best of the lot, however, is undoubtedly the Classique 7225.

Equipped with one of the most advanced time-only movements on the market, the Classique 7225 combines cutting edge modern watchmaking of the best industrial-haute horlogerie variety with an unexpectedly captivating aesthetic. Some of its details don’t quite make sense, yet the 7225 as a whole makes a lot of sense.

Initial thoughts

The Classique 7225 has a great deal of tactile appeal – it feels good on the wrist. In fact, the 7225 is probably the first Breguet in a long time that is sexy. If there’s one Breguet in today’s catalogue I really want, it’s this one.

At 41 mm, the 7225 might measure large for such a watch, but the proportions are just right. The case is thin enough, while the wide dial maximises the impact of the guilloche on a gold base. If anything, the design might look odd with a smaller format, since the look comes from a pocket watch after all.

Visually, the 7225 is striking and employs the classic Breguet style to great effect. Almost all the elements are familiar so the watch is recognisably “Breguet”, yet it different from the rest of the catalogue. The 7225 instantly looks like a Breguet, which shows its creators have an instinctive understanding of the brand.

With its “floating” magnetic balance staff, the cal. 74SC inside is perhaps the most advanced hand-wind movement on the market (the cal. 7135 of the Rolex Land-Dweller is probably the most advanced overall), even though it’s over a dozen years old now, having been first launched in the Classique Chronometrie 7727. This underlines Breguet’s impressive technical know-how, but also the sparse innovation in terms of industrial-scale chronometry.

Given the movement’s background, the view from the back is unsurprisingly less classical than on the front. The movement layout is essentially unchanged from the first generation, but dressed up with a gilt finish and an engraved bird’s eye view of Vallee de Joux. I find the movement styling too modern for the overall look, and the engraving a little overdone, but the technical merit of the cal. 74SC is strong enough that it gets a pass. In fact, I would take this movement over a “hand” finished, Unitas-derived time-only calibre any day.

That said, the keen-eyed will notice the 7225 is conceptually illogical in two respects. For one, the basis of the design is a series of important pocket watch tourbillons; the 7225 is not a tourbillon.

And the 7225 has a flyback seconds (sometimes also known as a “Chronostop”) that is activated by a pusher on the side of the case. The pusher, however, resembles a slide for a minute repeater for no discernible reason. But the watch is appealing enough these don’t really matter.

At CHF75,000 the 7225 is priced similar to many time-only watches from emerging independent watchmakers. In comparison, the 7225 offers tremendous value; it should be a little cheaper but the realist in me understands where the market is at today in terms of pricing. Still, the 7225 also stacks up well against watches from establishment brands, since few, if any, offer time-only watch with such advanced, high-end movements.

More broadly, the 7225 underscores Breguet’s uninspired recent history – and the modest actions needed to revitalise the line-up. Like most of the other 250th anniversary watches, the 7225 isn’t actually new since the calibre was launched in 2012, yet a simple makeover results in a magnificent watch. The early launches will no doubt be easy pickings, but the 7225 and its peers now set high expectations.

Four-minute tourbillon not

The distinctive “Hidden Mickey” dial of the 7225 has its roots in a series of exceptional and significant pocket watches made by Abraham-Louis Breguet in the early 19th century. All shared a four-minute tourbillon and natural escapement, while a handful had gilt guilloche dials that inspired the 7225. Notably, pocket watch no. 1890 featuring a gilt dial sold a few months ago at Sotheby’s in Geneva for CHF1.88 million to none other than François-Paul Journe, reflecting its importance.

Reviving the unusual dial layout makes sense given the history of the originals, though the 7225 isn’t quite linked to the originals in terms of function or technique. The argument could be made that the original pocket watches were the ultimate chronometers of their day, as the 7225 is today.

The 7225 faithful adopts the design of the pocket watches, right down to the twin seconds counters and power reserve at six. The additional seconds was an add-on that required minor work to the movement, but necessary to reproduce the pocket watch dial layout.

The seconds at two is a conventional seconds, while the other at ten o’clock is the “observation” seconds, otherwise known as a flyback seconds that can be instantaneously reset and restarted with the pusher at eight o’clock. I would consider this a gimmick if the 7225 was not such an impressive watch; the flyback seconds is not a major or practical complication, but adds a tiny bit of interactivity to the watch.

The main portion of the dial is decorated with wavy Quai de l’Horloge guilloche that was designed for Breguet’s anniversary

Made of several parts, the dial is impressively executed. The guilloche is sharp and refined, and according to Breguet, done on hand-operated rose and straight-line engines, as is tradition. All of the dial parts are solid 18k Breguet gold, a yellow gold alloy that’s proprietary to Breguet.

The high quality of execution also extends to the hands. The blued steel hour and minute hands show off mirror polished counter sinks on the central bosses.

The “secret” signature on either side of “XII”

The guilloche continues onto the case band as well. Like the main section of the dial, the case sides are decorated with Quai de l’Horloge engine turning, a wavy motif conceived for the anniversary and found across the commemorative editions.

Unlike the dial that is clearly 19th century, the case is definitely 20th century and similar to that of the Classique Souscription. It has a mid-20th century style found on Breguet wristwatches made during that time, so it does have historical basis. This even extends to the flat crown, reflecting the keen eye for detail in the design. Despite being so far apart in historical terms, the elements complement each other perfectly.

The cal. 74SC inside is derived from the cal. 574 DR  Classique Chronometrie 7727. Both movements are fundamentally identical, but the cal. 74SC has been reworked to accommodate the new dial layout, while also undergoing a cosmetic makeover.

The reworking of the movement is minor and probably added a little to the height. However, the defining innovation of the movement remains unchanged: magnetic pivots for the balance staff.

To quote my 2012 story on the movement, “tiny magnets on each endstone of the balance staff keep it in place, pulling [the balance] back upright when the balance is displaced by shocks. Where large balance wheels, overcoils and free sprung balance wheels were the norm in historic attempts to improve chronometry, the Classique Chronometrie is a distinctly modern approach.”

“And because the magnets keep the balance staff suspended in an identical position regardless of the position of the watch, so the friction on the pivots is constant all the time. In a regular wristwatch the vertical position tends to cause the most friction due to the weight of the balance wheel pulling downwards.”

In addition, the escapement and hairspring are in silicon. Coupling with the magnetic pivots, this allows the cal. 74SC to run at 10 Hz, or 72,000 beats per hour – double the conventional standard of 3 Hz for a high-frequency movement.

This extremely high frequency boosts chronometry by improving the stability of timekeeping and reducing errors caused by external forces like magnetism and shock. I am certain the cal. 74SC is one of the most precise hand-wind movements on the market today.

The stylised “B” emblem on the barrel bridge is the new “Breguet hallmark” that the brands says covers “component quality, performance and ethics”

The overall architecture of the movement remains unchanged, though it has been dressed up substantially compared to the cal. 574 DR. The bridges have been plated in Breguet gold and then hand engraved with a view of Le Chenit, the town where Breguet is now headquartered. As with the engraved movement on the new Type XX, this feels a little overdone in terms of visuals but I can’t fault the quality of the work.

Notably, the finishing on the movement appears improved over the cal. 574 DR of 2012. Many parts appear to enjoy some hand finishing, which is perhaps not surprising since that’s also the case for other current Breguet movements.

Key facts and price

Breguet Classique 7225
Ref. 7225BH0H9V6

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 10.7 mm
Material: 18k “Breguet” gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Cal. 74SC
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve, and “observation seconds”
Winding: Manual wind
Frequency: 72,000 beats per hour (10 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours

Strap: Alligator strap with pin buckle

Limited edition: No
Availability: First availability at boutiques, but also at retailers
Price: CHF75,000

For more information, visit Breguet.com.

Dubai has become one of the world’s most important meeting points for collectors. Its role as a crossroads is hardly new — the city sits at the intersection of historic trade routes, benefits from a strategic position between East and West, and is anchored by one of the world’s most connected airports. Within this landscape, Ahmed Seddiqi stands as a long-established pillar of the region’s horological landscape and remains a destination for collectors from around the world.

Even after the conclusion of Dubai Watch Week (DWW), the city retains a sense of momentum. Within this landscape, one destination stands out for its significance and ambition: the Ahmed Seddiqi Rolex Certified Pre-Owned boutique.

During DWW, we had the opportunity to visit the boutique and view some of the extraordinary pieces currently available.

Understanding CPO

Rolex launched its CPO programme in late 2022 and it remains one of the most strategically important evolutions in modern watch retail. The secondary market has been growing in importance for both collectors and industry leaders, but until recently it existed largely outside the brand’s official mandate.

Since the launch of the programme nearly three years ago, there are now 148 participating retailers around the world, according to WatchCharts, a data provider that tracks Rolex CPO pricing and volume. As of late 2025, these retailers carry a total inventory of about 9,000 CPO Rolex watches.

That’s either a lot of watches or not that many depending on one’s perspective, but the number is growing. Furthermore, the aims of the CPO programme extend far beyond transactional margins; it’s about protecting the Rolex brand for the long haul.

Protecting the brand

During Dubai Watch Week, Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour spoke candidly about the origins of the CPO programme. The idea began with an observation in the United States: “We noticed that in some points of sale, the number one brand was Rolex, and the number two brand was Rolex second-hand.”

For Rolex executives, this volume raised an alarm. Customers were buying used Rolex watches in vast numbers, yet the brand had no control over the quality, servicing, or experience — no way to guarantee the watch lived up to the name on the dial.

Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour.

Mr Dufour framed the issue bluntly: “Having such a level of business without being sure that there won’t be an issue, because we cannot offer any warranty on the product, it’s a little bit dangerous.” He added, “There’s nothing worse than feeling betrayed when you’ve bought something expensive… that feeling can be destroying.”

In Rolex terms, this is the essence of long-term thinking: invest in building trust today to safeguard the next 50 years. The CPO programme gives Rolex a way to take care of customers who prefer older models, anchoring the secondary market to the same standards that define the brand’s primary sales channels.

Jewels in the desert

Against that backdrop, Seddiqi’s CPO boutique feels like a natural extension of Dubai’s role as a crossroads of global collecting culture. Seddiqi has approached Rolex CPO with characteristic ambition and real investment, with a large inventory and a purpose-built boutique in the Wafi Mall, about 30 minutes away from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

Many CPO inventories focus almost exclusively on recent watches; Daytonas, GMT-Masters, and other models that are the flavour of the day. Seddiqi has gone in the opposite direction, curating a more exotic selection.

The group’s chairman, Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, affirmed his commitment to the programme: “We have really invested a lot in CPO. We have collected a lot of pieces that didn’t exist as part of the normal collection and today we have about 500 pieces of CPO Rolex.”

The Seddiqi RCPO boutique in Wafi Mall. Image – Ahmed Seddiqi

Cultivating trust

Collectors are responding to the unique selection offered by the Seddiqi boutique. Mr Seddiqi explained, “People are really buying these pieces, especially the really expensive [off−catalogue pieces]. The second thing is that people trust us and also they have a guarantee from Rolex that with CPO it’s genuine with no modification…the bracelet, the dial…everything is genuine.”

The element of trust is something that came up repeatedly during the panel, with Mr Dufour noting that in the context of vintage watches, “It’s an industry where you have some money… when you have some money you always have the right guys and the bad guys.”

That trust extends far beyond Dubai, with Mr Seddiqi noting: “We have people from outside [the UAE] even from South America and Mexico come to buy CPO [from the Seddiqi boutique].”

This should not be surprising. Dubai excels at bringing the world together, and Seddiqi’s multi-generational stewardship of the region’s horological culture gives the boutique a sense of authority few retailers can match.

Abdul Hamied Seddiqi.

Concluding thoughts

What Seddiqi has created with its Rolex CPO boutique feels less like a retail concept and more like an institution; the boutique’s depth of inventory and access to unusual references set it apart from typical CPO offerings. And while Dubai’s connectivity brings collectors to the city, it’s the Seddiqi family’s credibility and curatorial eye that will keep them returning to the CPO boutique. As the secondary market becomes an ever more important pillar of modern watch collecting, this boutique illustrates what the future of certified pre-owned can look like when executed with ambition and clarity of purpose.