Breguet unveils the Classique 7235 inspired by the historic No. 5 pocket watch. The price of ref. 7235BH/02/9V6 is €77,300
Together with the impressive Reference 7225 that we presented last week, Breguet has also unveiled the Classique 7235, a timepiece that perfectly embodies the unique and immediately recognisable style created by the House of Breguet, which has influenced the entire watchmaking industry.
This new model is directly inspired by the No. 5 pocket watch dating back to 1794 and currently on display at the Breguet Museum on Place Vendôme in Paris. This timepiece was sold at the time to François Jourgnac Saint-Méard, a literary scholar renowned for his fine writing and a contemporary of Breguet.
The Breguet No. 5 pocket watch delivered on 14 March 1794
A limited edition of 250 pieces, the Classique 7235 echoes the dial layout of the No. 5 watch, with its two central hands, power reserve between 10 and 11 o’clock, moon phase at 2 o’clock, and small seconds at 5 o’clock.
The 39 mm case and dial are crafted in 18K Breguet gold. Both are enhanced by hand-guilloché decorations featuring the “Quai de l’Horloge” motif, introduced this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the brand.
Similar to those of the Souscription model introduced earlier in 2025, the curved lugs ensure balanced proportions and optimal wrist presence.
The small seconds and power-reserve sectors, as well as the dial rim, feature the same pattern but in a circular rendering, making it easier to distinguish between them.
They are separated from the straight guilloché sections by satin-brushed inserts that give the dial additional volume and clarity. Also made of Breguet gold, the moon at 2 o’clock is an exact reproduction of the one featured on the No. 5 pocket watch.
The ensemble is completed by the unmistakable Breguet blue steel hollow-tipped hour and minute hands, along with blued steel seconds and power-reserve hands.
All these indications are displayed on a non-planar surface, as the Classique 7235 features a bevelled dial directly inspired by watch No. 5.
The dial’s geometry is thinner at the periphery than at the centre, with a measured difference of 0.4 mm. This subtle gradient produces a controlled slope towards the chapter ring, optimising visual depth while preserving structural rigidity.
This configuration allows for a slimmer, lower bezel that aligns precisely with the spherical sapphire crystal, ensuring a seamless junction with the caseband and achieving mechanical and aesthetic equilibrium.
The large sapphire crystal on the back showcases the entirely hand-engraved Calibre 502.3.DRL, a new self-winding movement operating at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) with a 45-hour power reserve.
Remarkably slim at just 3.95 mm (for a 32.4 mm diameter), this movement allows the case to remain under 10 mm thick, at precisely 9.9 mm. This thinness is achieved through the use of an off-centred oscillating weight, which optimises the spatial layout of components.
The mechanism is fitted with a silicon balance spring and perpetuates the legacy of the 1794 No. 5 watch, which was also self-winding. This connection is particularly meaningful: A.-L. Breguet is regarded as the father of the perpétuelle watch, the ancestor of today’s automatic timepieces. In a 1790 letter, he mentioned having “worked on it for 25 years,” suggesting that his experiments began around 1775.
The Breguet Museum preserves the oldest known perpétuelle, the Breguet 1/8/82, completed in August 1782, tangible proof of his pioneering role. The Classique 7235 pays tribute to this heritage through both its mechanical conception and its refined aesthetics.
The new calibre is engraved with an intricate reproduction of the “Turgot map” of Paris, depicting the Quai de l’Horloge, where Breguet’s original workshops were located. Created in the 18th century by Michel-Étienne Turgot and Louis Bretez, the map remains one of the most detailed and celebrated depictions of the city.
Paired with a navy blue alligator leather strap secured by an 18K Breguet gold pin buckle, and presented in a red leather 250th-anniversary special-edition case inspired by Breguet’s Moroccan leather cases of the period, the individually numbered Breguet Classique 7235, ref. 7235BH/02/9V6, has a retail price of €77,300. breguet.com
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