Flying, Mysterious and Aventurine: Breguet Unveils the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 With Three Firsts for the Brand

With the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255, Breguet releases the fourth timepiece in its ongoing 250th anniversary series. Launched on June 26, 2025— exactly 224 years after Abraham-Louis Breguet patented the tourbillon in 1801— the 7255 pays homage to the genius of its inventor while offering some firsts, both in technique and design.

Limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, this haute horlogerie watch with a diameter of 40mm and clad in Breguet's own gold alloy consisting of gold, silver, copper, and palladium ushers the brand's most famous invention into a new era of sophistication.

Breguet’s legacy with the tourbillon is unmatched, but the 7255 marks a first in the brand’s history: a flying tourbillon executed in a "mysterious" configuration. The flying tourbillon is a refined variant of this classic complication. Invented by the Glashütte master watchmaker Alfred Helwig in 1920, its cage is supported only by a lower bridge. The absence of the upper bridge gives the illusion that the filigree mechanism is "flying" within the movement— hence the name. Offering an unobstructed view of its delicate details, it is even more sought after than the classic tourbillon.

The mesmerizing effect is highlighted by an intriguing and rare complication known as the "mysterious mechanism." It involves setting a component— often a watch or clock hand— in motion without any visible connection to the rest of the movement. While commonly used for hands, this technique can also be applied to other rotating elements, including the tourbillon, as showcased in the remarkable Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255.

Here, both the lower bridge and the base support of the tourbillon carriage are crafted from sapphire glass with an anti-reflective coating, making them virtually invisible to the eye. What enhances the illusion even more is the concealed contact point between the gears and the carriage. Cleverly offset from the tourbillon aperture and hidden beneath the dial, there is no visible trace of its mechanical connection.

In another brand first, the Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 features a dial crafted from aventurine enamel, a material whose sparkling inclusions mimic a starlit sky. Achieving this effect is no small feat: the dial is built up from several layers of finely calibrated aventurine glass powder, fired multiple times at over 800°C. The result is both visually stunning and technically exceptional—each dial is unique, making every watch a one-of-one within the 50-piece series.

The dial is furnished with Breguet numerals and pomme-tipped hands and framed by a slim bezel. To accommodate the elevated tourbillon which raises 0.9mm above the dial, Breguet developed a special design: a gold base and the bezel form a sealed chamber to contain and protect the layers of aventurine enamel during the firing process. The result is a dial of extraordinary depth and richness.

At the heart of the Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 is the hand-wound caliber 187M1, operating at 2.5 Hz and offering a 50-hour power reserve. For the first time, the recently unveiled Quai de l’Horloge guilloché is executed not only in a circular pattern on the case back and tourbillon support, but also in a linear fashion across the entire movement main plate. This guilloche motif’s design is inspired by the delicate curves of the river Seine as it flows around the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis in Paris.

The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 is equipped with an alligator leather strap featuring a Breguet gold folding clasp. Pricing is marked at CHF190,000 or approximately $237,760 when converted to USD.

To learn more, visit Breguet, here.