Breguet’s First-Ever Flying Tourbillon is a ‘Mysterious’ Ode to the Master

• Iconic watchmaker Breguet has announced the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255, the fourth chapter in its 250th anniversary celebrations.
• The release date, the 26th of June 2025, is in homage to the 26th of June 1801, when Abraham-Louis Breguet obtained a patent for his invention of the tourbillon.
• Limited to just 50 timepieces, the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 represents the first Breguet model to feature a “flying tourbillon”.

We love ourselves a great mystery and a great timepiece, and Breguet has delivered both in its latest anniversary watch. Visually stunning at first sight, the latest Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 also emanates with historical significance, astronomical implications, and mechanical brilliance. Its release date of 26 June 2025 marks 224 years since the tourbillon mechanism was patented by founder Abraham-Louis Breguet himself. To honour this enduring benchmark, the watchmaker has introduced its first-ever flying tourbillon, complete with a ‘mysterious’ design that was years in the making.

Breguet was founded in 1775, and so the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 arrives on the watchmaker’s 250th anniversary while simultaneously commemorating the original tourbillon patent. Not only does it represent the brand’s first flying tourbillon, but also their first use of aventurine enamel on the dial. The unique enamel pays tribute to astronomy and early observations of the starry night sky, with a celestial sparkle that adorns an otherwise deep blue dial face. Call it the perfect touch of subtle detail on the transfixing display, and a deft reminder of the founder’s astronomical fixations.

Indeed, the very word “Sidéral” loosely translates to “related to the stars or constellations,” and draws upon astronomical timekeeping (based not on the sun but the fixed position of the stars). The watch further corresponds with astronomy through its use of a tourbillon. In the 17th century, mathematician Blaise Pascal expanded upon the meaning of tourbillon to describe a “material system animated with rotational motion,” applying the concept to planetary systems. In the horological realm, the tourbillon remains directly linked to astronomy, even as it continues to evolve.

And now we arrive at the flying tourbillon itself, as presented on Breguet’s new anniversary release. Perched inside an elegant cage on the dial face, the complex mechanism differs from its traditional counterparts through the absence of an upper bar. It thus appears suspended in space as if untethered to the laws of gravity.

This particular iteration goes one step further by eschewing a pivot at the top to anchor all the support at the base, resulting in better balance and improved adjustability. Meanwhile, the lower support system is made of sapphire glass with an anti-reflective coating, rendering the point of contact between the gears and carriage invisible to enhance the suspended effect. Gaze upon this feat of engineering and behold a tourbillon that appears to be truly flying in place, something Breguet CEO Gregory Kissling marks as a true brand-first.

“It is, quite simply, the very first time in Breguet’s history that a flying tourbillon is being introduced. A beautiful way to celebrate its 224th anniversary,” Kissling said. “And the tourbillon model we chose to reinterpret is no ordinary one: among the tourbillon movements in Breguet’s archives, it is the one used in the very first Breguet tourbillon wristwatch, unveiled in 1990 under reference 3350.

“Invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801, the tourbillon remains one of the most complex complications in watchmaking. Its mastery embodies the technical excellence to which the House of Breguet has remained faithful for more than two centuries,” the Breguet CEO continued. “The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 thus pays homage to that iconic timepiece and to the master’s invention. I would even go so far as to say that this creation is an ode to the tourbillon itself, where time indication is almost secondary…”

Over two centuries after A.-L. Breguet patented the tourbillon mechanism, his namesake manufacture carries forth his vision of supreme robustness and accuracy. It took the watchmaker years to master the ‘mysterious’ complication that debuts on the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255, which cranks up the flying effect. Combine that with a slew of superlative materials and details – including 18K Breguet gold elements, a handmade guilloché case back, and the aforementioned aventurine enamel dial – and you’re looking at a masterpiece on multiple fronts.

Some things go beyond mere words, no matter how much we attempt to describe them. The celestial universe around us is one. Breguet’s Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 is another. Limited to just 50 units, it’s available for approximately USD$226,000. Buy us one, will you?

Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Ref. 7255BH/2Y/9VU

• Brand: Breguet
• Model: Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255
• Reference: Ref. 7255BH/2Y/9VU
• Diameter: 38mm
• Thickness: 10.2mm
• Movement: Hand-wound Calibre 187M1
• Power Reserve: 50 hours
• Availability: Limited to 50 pieces
• Price: USD$226,000