Breguet Expérimentale 1

Considering its broad know-how of excessive frequency actions to tourbillons to constant-force escapements to magnetic pivots to unbelievable watchmaking ending and precision — constructed on the legendary Lemania manufacturing unit — Breguet has all the required components to be a high ten watch model.

This new multi-pronged horological growth is definitely a step in the fitting course. Whether or not they’ll reclaim something near a high ten place will depend upon collectors’ willingness to belief that Breguet can commercialize and market such revolutionary timepieces, within the cut-throat watch market of 2025, as a result of the market has advanced, and it’s not 1775.

Under is a direct press launch:

The primary chapter within the model’s new exploratory R&D line

Manufacture Breguet broadcasts the creation of a line that may incorporate the most recent improvements from its Analysis and Improvement division. Named “Expérimentale”, it’s initially being launched by means of a Marine wristwatch that includes an revolutionary and daring design. This timepiece crafted in Breguet gold is provided with the very first high-frequency (10 Hz) tourbillon with a magnetic escapement and delivering fixed drive to the steadiness. It’s licensed by the Breguet hallmark.

R&D have been core to quite a few Breguet creations for 250 years. This spirit was instilled by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself, who was accountable from 1775 onwards for many of the watchmaking improvements of that period: the tourbillon, the perpétuelle watch, the pure escapement, the fixed-force escapement, the “commentary” seconds counter (which gave rise to the chronograph), the shock absorber, the Breguet balance-spring with its terminal curve, the gong-spring (for chiming watches), the primary wristwatch, and so on.

To provide form to this strategy based mostly on steady progress, the Manufacture determined to develop a group in parallel with its present ones and named Expérimentale. This collection of particular timepieces pays tribute to A.-L. Breguet’s creations that every one underneath went an experimental section.

This experimental assortment is designed to showcase the model’s newest technical and aesthetic developments. It provides a glimpse of what Breguet watchmaking will seem like sooner or later. For collectors, additionally it is an opportunity to be among the many first to accumulate high-end timepieces in strictly restricted collection, of which the scientific content material shall be developed in subsequent collections.

Expérimentale 1, pioneering by nature

Whereas the primary timepiece on this new assortment marks the ultimate chapter in Manufacture Breguet’s 250th anniversary celebrations, it additionally represents the primary chapter of its future. An inaugural creation whose objective is to pave the way in which for the Home going ahead.

The Expérimentale 1 is just not a spontaneous creation, stemming as a substitute from a few years of R&D work carried out behind the scenes and that has given rise to the present watches, notably the Classique, Custom, Marine and Sort XX collections.

The Expérimentale programme goals to focus on this R&D shedding gentle on all the discipline of horology by means of its work on supplies, electromagnetism, vibratory mechanics and acoustics. Science within the broadest sense of the time period, connecting with design.

Highlighting remembrance

For this primary installment, Breguet has fulfilled two targets. The primary, elementary aim underpinning all technical endeavours is the search for precision.

The second is to construct a bridge between legacy and the long run. This strategy is being rolled out as a part of the Home’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Highlighting the historic significance of the Expérimentale 1 appeared an apparent alternative.

These ties with the previous are expressed by making this timepiece a part of the Marine assortment. The goal is to recall that, after his appointment to the Paris Bureau des Longitudes in 1814, A.-L. Breguet was awarded the title of Horloger de la Marine Royale (Watchmaker by appointment to the Royal Navy) by Louis XVIII.

This distinction was probably the most prestigious a watchmaker may probably obtain, because the very notion of maritime horology required scientific experience.

Impressed design

The Expérimentale 1 represents a continuation of this custom, showcasing technical breakthroughs which might be already shaping the way forward for Haute Horology.

The Expérimentale 1 relies on a number of complementary aesthetic foundations interacting to type a novel and harmonious entire.

For this primary opus, the designers drew inspiration from the historical past of the Marine assortment, with L’Expérimentale that includes a few of its codes: a sporty case, close-set central lugs, a rubber strap (interchangeable for the primary time), in addition to utmost consideration dedicated to readability – notably enhanced by all-luminescent indications.

From a historic perspective, it echoes the aesthetic codes of Reference 3448, significantly by way of its dial show and motion structure.

Moreover, the Expérimentale 1 echoes the Reference 1747 mannequin created in 1997 to mark the 250th anniversary of A.-L. Breguet’s delivery.

This establishes a pure reference to the Expérimentale 1, unveiled in 2025 to have a good time the 250th anniversary of the delivery of the Manufacture that has borne his identify since 1775.

One other apparent hyperlink is that the 1747 was the primary wristwatch to function a regulator show in Breguet’s latest historical past – and the likewise regulator-type Expérimentale 1 is its official successor.

The lineage dates all the way in which again to the genuine Marine Chronometer No. 104 by A.-L. Breguet. On the time, the good watchmaker was exiled from France, the place the Revolution was raging. The piece was began within the short-term workshop he had arrange in Le Locle.

No. 104 was Breguet’s first recognized marine chronometer, simply because the Expérimentale 1 is Breguet’s first pure R&D mannequin; lastly, No. 104 was the primary to make use of Arabic numerals (extraordinarily uncommon on the time), that are additionally picked up on the Expérimentale 1.

The search for precision

On a technical stage, the selection of distinctive traits contributing to enhanced accuracy was simply as apparent. Precision was and stays the driving drive behind Breguet’s innovation. It was the explanation for nearly all of the improvements launched by A.-L. Breguet, a watchmaker who spent his complete life perfecting the artwork of horology.

It needs to be famous that Breguet filed only a few patents throughout his lifetime, as they had been not often wanted on the time. Two of them did nevertheless depart an indelible imprint on their period.

The primary was filed on 9 March 1798 and associated to fixed drive, whereas the second registered on 26 June 1801 was supposed to guard the tourbillon.

Two centuries later, Manufacture Breguet is following within the nice watchmaker’s footsteps by pushing these two elementary areas of endeavor up an additional notch on the tourbillon and the constant-force escapement.

Along with the magnetic escapement, they type the center of the Expérimentale 1. Like A.-L. Breguet’s authentic creations, its parts have been designed to convey actual added worth to the product. The Expérimentale 1 heralds a brand new period for watchmaking, wherein the Manufacture will showcase the fruits of its watchmaking and scientific analysis.

Setting the phrases of the horological equation

The search for accuracy can’t be diminished to at least one sole drawback with a single answer, as a substitute combining a minimum of three variables.

The primary is the constant amplitude of the steadiness. The latter is positioned downstream from the barrel, whose torque decreases as the facility reserve is depleted.

It’s subsequently inherently very troublesome for the steadiness to take care of a continuing amplitude if the power it receives is just not constant.

The second is the affect of Earth’s gravity, which significantly impacts all the regulating organ (steadiness and hairspring), thereby impacting its efficiency.

The third issue is shock resistance. All modern watches are subjected to accelerations which might be multiples of the Earth’s gravitational acceleration expressed in “gs”.

Extra dramatically, they are often subjected to impacts – together with these concerned in merely putting a watch on a tough floor.

Each influence and each motion impacts the common operating of the watch – and therefore impairs its precision.

Setting out the phrases of this horological equation serves to elucidate the three technical decisions made by Breguet to resolve them. They’re mixed in a single answer that’s as elegant as it’s ingenious: a 10Hz tourbillon with constant-force magnetic escapement.

Ahead-looking options

Magnetism serves to impart a secure impulse to the steadiness all through the facility reserve, in addition to to decouple the impulse operate from the rotation of the escape-wheel, the tourbillon cage and the remainder of the going prepare.

The excessive frequency allows the steadiness to return extra rapidly to its regular amplitude after being disturbed by an influence.

The tourbillon cycles by means of the totally different vertical positions that the watch can undertake in 60 seconds. It subsequently naturally averages out the variations in fee as a consequence of gravity.

Breguet’s first-ever 10Hz tourbillon with constant-force magnetic escapement

For the reason that early 2010s, the Manufacture has continued to excellent its mastery of the magnetic discipline. Whereas this has now been prolonged to the escapement, its founding precept stays the identical: to create a fastidiously managed magnetic discipline and interactions.

This entails two escape-wheels every geared up with a magnetic monitor, on the centre of which beats a pallet-lever with likewise magnetic pallets. The concept is to take cues from constant-force escapements. Under a sure working torque, the tourbillon stops in a short time, whereas above this threshold, the steadiness oscillates at its most amplitude.

This new escapement additionally makes it attainable to decouple the impulses transmitted to the steadiness from the rotation of the escape-wheel and therefore from the remainder of the gear prepare. In contrast to in a Swiss lever motion, the inertia of the tourbillon cage has virtually no affect.

By decoupling these two capabilities, Breguet has been capable of create a tourbillon with a 10Hz oscillator in such dimensions, additionally giving free rein to design decisions, for instance by offsetting its steadiness from the cage’s heart of rotation.

Technical description of the tourbillon

In comparison with most conventional tourbillons working at 2.5Hz, this represents a fourfold improve. This 10Hz frequency is even considerably larger than most basic Swiss lever escapement watches with out tourbillons, virtually all of which run at 3 or 4Hz.

The 10Hz tourbillon with magnetic escapement is subsequently extra secure and extra correct than most modern wristwatches.

The Expérimentale 1 wristwatch is licensed by the Breguet hallmark within the “Scientific” class, which means it has a assured accuracy of -1/+1 second over a 24-hour interval.

The development of the escapement mechanism can be uncommon. Between its two escape-wheels geared up with a magnetic monitor, an intermediate cease wheel ensures that the system doesn’t undergo any undesirable jumps.

Many of the different tourbillon parts are non-magnetic, as a way to keep away from any interplay that might intervene with its clean operating. The balance-spring is manufactured from silicon, the fastened fourth wheel of LIGA (NiP12) and the opposite parts of titanium or nivagauss.

Avant-garde aesthetics

The Expérimentale 1 is housed in a 43.5 mm-diameter Breguet gold case, a dimension impressed by the requirements of the Marine assortment.

By way of design, the timepiece is impressed by the pocket watch No. 3448, choosing up the latter’s key traits with a regulator-style show and symmetrical motion whereas taking them to a brand new stage by merging back and front. The Expérimentale offers full visibility, because of a sapphire dial offering a view of all the motion.

The regulator-type show options hours at 6 o’clock, offset minutes and seconds on the tourbillon at 12 o’clock.

Already tried and examined by A.-L. Breguet again in his day, this format ensures higher legibility and in addition contributes to correct timekeeping.

The Expérimentale 1 additionally incorporates a patented twin barrel, just like the Breguet no. 3448, however this time on two series-coupled ranges, every consisting of a double spring separated by a sapphire spacer, organized on both facet of the minutes axis at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively. This double-sprung mechanism serves to optimise power administration in relation to the house out there.

Lastly, many of the conventional traits of a Breguet watch are current: a double-stepped fluted caseband, six close-set lugs – of which two are devoted to the interchangeability mechanism and the 4 others are facetted, alternating between sandblasted blued and satin-brushed finishes in addition to a blue ALD-treated Breguet gold inlay – blue open-tipped fingers enhanced with Tremendous-LumiNova®, a secret signature on the sapphire dial and Breguet numerals.

Above and past these options, the aesthetic vocabulary of the Expérimentale 1 has been fully reinvented.

A 21st century creation

The very first thing to notice is the development of the strong gold bridges, whose tender curves have given option to sharp angles.

Their floor is satin-brushed, whereas the angles are hand-finished and mirror-polished to intensify the rigorous geometry of their design. Breguet gold, mixed with the navy blue coating, reveals itself in all its complexity with a mix of heat, brilliance and depth. The blue hue of the barrel springs can be a primary for Breguet

The sapphire dial rests on 4 gold pillars. It shows the hours, fashioned by three linked luminescent circles.

The big peripheral minutes monitor surrounds the chapter ring at 6 o’clock, whereas the tourbillon seems to flee from its confines, sitting freely at 12 o’clock – two-thirds contained in the minutes monitor and one-third above it.

It’s right here, straight above the Breguet gold mainplate, that the Manufacture has chosen to position the Expérimentale 1 cartouche, symbolically crowning all the composition – and extra significantly its 10Hz tourbillon with a constant-force magnetic escapement. The latter consists of a giant rounded-off polished bridge, with the small seconds dial resting at its heart.