A New Kind of Breguet Experiment 

Breguet doesn’t celebrate a 250th anniversary by playing it safe, which, to be honest, is very appreciated. Instead of another heritage reissue or precious-metal variation, the brand closed out the year by launching something that feels genuinely exploratory. The new Experimentale 1 is the opening chapter of a new technical family, and it makes its intentions clear right away.

 

This is Breguet going back to its roots - not visually, but intellectually. Abraham-Louis Breguet was a problem-solver first and a stylist second, and this watch feels designed with that same mindset.

 

Source: MonochromeWatches

The Big Idea

At the heart of the Experimentale 1 is a brand-new manual-wind movement built around a 10Hz tourbillon and a magnetic constant-force natural escapement. That’s a lot of words, but the goal is simple - deliver stable energy to the balance, eliminate friction during impulse, and keep time as consistently as possible.

The new calibre 7250 runs at 10 vibrations per second, which already puts it in rare territory. High frequency improves precision but usually increases wear and energy loss. Breguet’s solution is to rethink the escapement entirely.

 

Instead of a traditional Swiss lever with jewel pallets, this system relies on magnets. The escape wheels are made from titanium and fitted with magnetic tracks. The pallet lever uses samarium-cobalt magnets rather than jewels, creating a natural escapement that transmits energy without physical contact during impulse. No sliding friction where it matters most, and torque delivery that stays consistent regardless of how much power remains in the barrels.

 

It’s a constant-force system, but achieved magnetically rather than mechanically. That’s the key leap here.

Source: MonochromeWatches

How It Works

In simple terms, magnetic repulsion controls the impulse instead of direct contact. The energy from the going train is released evenly, the balance receives the same push every time, and the system resets itself through carefully shaped magnetic “ramps” on the escape wheels.

 

The result is a regulator that’s largely immune to amplitude variation as the watch winds down. The tourbillon itself rotates once per minute and serves as the running seconds display, while also helping average out positional errors.

This movement beats fast, sounds unusual, and behaves very differently from what most collectors are used to - and that’s exactly the point.

Source: MonochromeWatches

Built to Be Precise, Not Delicate

Despite all the exotic engineering, the Experimentale 1 isn’t treated like a fragile lab object. It carries the new Poinçon Breguet certification with a stated accuracy of ±1 second per day and resistance to magnetic fields up to 600 gauss.

 

That resistance isn’t accidental. The balance spring is silicon, several components are made from titanium or Nivagauss alloys, and the movement architecture was clearly designed with magnetism in mind rather than fear of it.

 

Power comes from two barrels delivering a combined 72-hour reserve, and even the mainsprings are blued - a first for the brand.

 

A New Case Language, Still Very Breguet

The movement sits inside a newly developed case that nods to the Marine line without copying it outright. The case is made from 18k Breguet gold and measures 43.5mm across and 13.3mm thick, with a water resistance of 100 meters.

 

The fluted caseband is now three-dimensional, the lugs are hollowed and closer-set, and subtle blue ALD-treated gold inlays appear on the lugs and crown. It feels technical rather than decorative, which suits the watch perfectly.

The sapphire crystal is box-shaped, treated on both sides to reduce glare and repel water, reinforcing the idea that this isn’t meant to live its life in a safe.

 

Source: MonochromeWatches

A Dial That Explains Itself

Instead of a traditional dial, the Experimentale 1 uses a sapphire display with applied chapter rings. The layout is regulator-style - hours at 6 o’clock, offset minutes, and seconds on the tourbillon.

Everything is crisp, legible, and surprisingly luminous. The gold chapter rings are filled with Super-LumiNova, and the blue ALD-treated markings glow evenly in low light. It almost looks like enamel at first glance, but the transparency keeps the focus on the mechanics underneath.

 

The use of Breguet numerals here is deliberate, referencing an early 19th-century scientific watch delivered to astronomer Alexis Bouvard.

Source: MonochromeWatches

Limited Indeed

The Experimentale 1 is limited to 75 individually numbered pieces, to be delivered over roughly two years. The price is set at around €330,000, positioning it firmly in ultra-high horology territory without drifting into pure concept-watch absurdity.

 

More importantly, Breguet has hinted that this technology won’t live in isolation. Variations of this escapement, or even this movement, may appear again in different cases. This feels like a starting point, not a dead end.

Source: MonochromeWatches

Why This Watch Matters

This is Breguet doing what Breguet historically did best - questioning assumptions and rebuilding the fundamentals. Instead of avoiding magnetism, the brand uses it. 

 

If this is the direction Breguet is heading, the next few years should be very interesting indeed.