In 2005, Breguet presented the first model in the Tradition collection. Designed as a direct expression of its heritage, this creation revealed the architecture of the movement above the plate on the dial side. With its unique aesthetic and visionary design, it stands apart in the history of watchmaking, affirming an essential link with Breguet’s origins and identity.

Breguet’s Tradition collection offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the souscription and tact watches designed by Abraham-Louis Breguet at the end of the 18^th century. Drawing inspiration from brand’s rich heritage, it transposes its principles into a modern, resolutely innovative watchmaking style, while remaining faithful to the original spirit.

At the heart of its identity lies the idea of exposed mechanics, brought here to its most singular expression: the movement and the reading of the time coexist on a single face. The mechanism is visible on the dial side, offering total immersion in the watch’s architecture and revealing what is usually only discovered by turning the watch over, without ever compromising the legibility of the time. Inherited from Breguet’s earliest creations, this construction appeals to mechanical enthusiasts by offering a rare perspective: that of the watchmaker at his workbench, gazing into the heart of the movement. There is also an educational dimension, which provides a better understanding of how a watch works.

This approach is reflected in a unique architecture, built on either side of a central plate. The barrel, the gear train and the balance wheel are arranged in a symmetrical pattern designed over two centuries ago by a brilliant pioneer of technology and design. Now revived in a contemporary calibre designed for wristwatches, this construction offers a full view of the movement and reveals the raw beauty of the mechanics in action, while highlighting a level of finishing that sets the standards of fine watchmaking.

Finally, as it has developed, the Tradition line has been enriched with different interpretations, from the most refined models to the most sophisticated complications. The dialogue between history, movement architecture and modernity remains central. Through the interplay of finishes, visual contrasts and the exposure of its components, the Tradition collection goes beyond a simple evocation of the past to establish itself as a living continuity, demonstrating that Breguet’s heritage remains an inexhaustible source of innovation.


Immersion in one of the most seminal chapters in the work of A.-L. Breguet: that of the souscription watch. Conceived in the aftermath of the Revolution, this deliberately simple creation reflected Breguet’s desire to respond to a changing society and new uses. Uniquely in his work, he himself explained his intentions, technical choices and philosophy in a printed document, deliberately placing himself in the perspective of his customers. The watch was a success, with nearly 700 examples sold, mostly between 1798 and 1805, attracting a new clientele to the House of Breguet.

In this founding story, the tact watch occupies a unique place. Derived from the souscription calibre – to the point of initially being referred to as a “tact souscription” – it is a direct continuation of this watch, incorporating its principles of simplicity, legibility and rational construction. By introducing a way of reading the time by touch, thanks to a movable outer hand, it offered a different approach to time, complementary to visual reading. Some versions also featured a small reduced dial on the back, sometimes animated by one or two hands. This particular layout, combining several modes of reading and revealing the mechanics, highlighting the aesthetic and conceptual codes of the Tradition line. Introduced in 2005, the contemporary Tradition collection is thus part of this continuity, offering a modern interpretation of these historical principles.

A recurring and immediately recognisable feature of the line, the shock absorber is an integral part of its identity. Only the Tourbillon 7047 does without it.

A true visual and technical signature, the shock absorber is one of A.-L. Breguet’s most ingenious inventions. Designed as a shock protection system, it addresses a key issue: the extreme fragility of the balance pivots, which are particularly exposed in the event of a fall. Around 1790, Breguet devised a solution of remarkable mechanical simplicity. He shaped the pivots into cones and housed them in small matching cups, which were held in place by thin spring blades. This elastic device absorbed shocks and preserved the integrity of the regulating organ, thus ensuring the timepiece’s proper functioning.

The anecdote remains famous: to demonstrate the effectiveness of his invention, Breguet did not hesitate to throw a watch on the floor in front of Talleyrand, a minister and customer of the company. The watch remained intact and continued to run. The master watchmaker quickly equipped all of his watches with this system, which he officially presented in its final version at the 1806 National Exhibition.

Also known as the “elastic balance suspension”, Breguet’s shock absorber is the direct ancestor of modern shock protection devices. More than two centuries after its invention, it remains a major milestone in the history of watchmaking and, within the Tradition collection, a visible tribute to the spirit of ingenuity and audacity of the House. It is also one of Breguet’s most widely used inventions in modern watchmaking today, along with the winding crown.

What place do Tradition watches occupy in the Breguet collections?
The Tradition collection occupies a central place in the Breguet universe. It embodies the heritage of the House in a particularly direct way, showcasing the architecture of the movement and the aesthetic codes derived from the first creations of A.-L. Breguet. It forms a strong link between the founding history of the brand and its contemporary watchmaking expression.

Originally conceived as a complement to the Classique line, the Tradition collection is aimed at enthusiasts who wish to observe the movement, understand its construction and comprehend its functioning. It thus enriches the House’s offering alongside the other major families of timepieces, offering a more immersive and structured approach to watch mechanics.

In our eyes, the Tradition watch embodies the icon of the House of Breguet.

What distinguishes the Tradition and Classique lines from the other collections?
They occupy a special place in the Breguet universe, as they are the most direct expressions of Breguet’s work.
The Classique line perpetuates the brand’s founding aesthetic codes: guilloché dials, Breguet hands, fluted cases, balanced proportions and mastery of grand complications. It embodies a stylistic and technical continuity that remains faithful to the original spirit of the founder.

The Tradition line, meanwhile, translates this heritage in a more structural and architectural way, inspired by tactile watches and openworked movements. Whereas the Classique expresses heritage through style, the Tradition expresses it through the very architecture of the mechanism.

The other collections, such as Marine and Type XX, offer a freer interpretation of Breguet’s DNA. They draw on the history of the House but adapt it with greater freedom.

Several Breguet collections have been modernised. Is this also planned for the Tradition collection?
The Tradition collection is evolving in a measured and consistent manner, in keeping with its original identity. Rather than radical transformations, Breguet favours subtle developments, incorporating technical improvements, modern materials and controlled aesthetic adjustments, while preserving the historical DNA that makes the collection unique.


The Tradition has a very original, even surprising appearance. What more can be said about its origins?
The origin lies in the souscription calibre, which A.-L. Breguet developed and sometimes miniaturised to create a watch that could be read by touch and sometimes featured a control dial: the tactile watch.

When you open up these historic pieces and remove the dust cover – or case back – you see a unique layout: the movement and the control dial are on the same side, in an unexpected configuration where the mechanics and the display (time reading) coexist on a single face. A true hidden legacy of Breguet, this construction remained dormant until 2005. Under the impetus of Nicolas G. Hayek, the teams fully appreciated its modernity and chose to offer a contemporary interpretation, adapted to the wristwatch: the Tradition collection was born.

It is also important to remember that watch enthusiasts have always expressed a desire to observe the movement. With the Tradition, not only is the mechanism visible, but it is placed on the dial side, where the eye naturally falls. Yesterday as today, this idea remains remarkably modern.

How does the Tradition collection combine heritage and innovation?

When it launched in 2005, the Tradition collection was not driven by a desire for spectacular innovation, but by a desire to express Breguet in its most essential form. The objective was clear: to create a deeply contemporary watch while giving the impression of observing an ancient movement. Thus, the shock-absorbing device took the form of the traditional shock absorber!

For the first time in the modern history of the company, a movement so directly echoed the aesthetics of a historical calibre. At the time, no other movement on the market had such an architecture. Nothing else resembled it.

The collection was initially aimed at discerning enthusiasts with an appreciation for watchmaking history, but it quickly found a much wider audience than expected. The display of the mechanics on the dial side, allowing everything to be observed at a glance, appealed to more than just purists.

Does the Tradition Tourbillon 7047 differ from the rest of the line?
Indeed, this model departs somewhat from the central barrel architecture that has become one of the collection’s hallmarks. This was a conscious choice.

Over the years, the Tradition line has established itself as the most immersive expression of Breguet’s mechanics. It therefore seemed natural to incorporate the tourbillon, the brand’s emblematic complication, so that enthusiasts could fully observe how it works.

The central barrel configuration has been abandoned in order to better showcase the tourbillon in all its technical and aesthetic glory. This development remains faithful to the spirit of the collection: revealing the mechanics on the visible side and magnifying what has been one of Breguet’s major signatures since its invention.


With its avant-garde aesthetic that has become its signature, the Tradition collection continues to surprise and seduce with its timelessness. Drawing on Breguet’s pure design roots, it combines audacity and progress in fine watchmaking, embodying a unique alchemy where heritage, innovation and contemporary vision come together. A true icon, the Tradition collection stands out as one of the most emblematic expressions of the House of Breguet.