Since 1775, the Breguet Maison has kept company with kings, emperors, icons, and celebrated figures across centuries. Because the people who truly understand craft have always found their way to Breguet.
In 2025, Breguet turned 250. For a maison that has been redefining watchmaking since before most countries existed, that number means something. And the response to it was exactly what you'd expect. Quiet. Deliberate. Extraordinary.
It also coincided with one of the most celebrated cultural occasions in the world, the Chinese New Year of the Snake.
To celebrate the occasion, the maison unveiled the Classique 7145BB/15/9WU06, a 8 pieces limited-edition worldwide model that captivated high-end watch enthusiasts. This rare timepiece features a solid-gold dial hand-engraved under a microscope, showcasing intricate guilloché work dating back to 1786. Enhanced by a black galvanic treatment, complemented by translucent hand-painted green lacquer.
And this is just a fraction of what makes it remarkable. Read on to know everything about this.
Design and Aesthetic Appeal
Case Material and Structure: The case is crafted in 18K white gold, which immediately sets the tone for the watch. Unlike rose or yellow gold, white gold doesn’t introduce warmth. It stays restrained, almost neutral, allowing the dial to take control of the visual experience.
That contrast becomes important once you notice the dial. Darkened, engraved, and layered with green tones, it carries depth and texture. The white gold case doesn’t compete with it. It frames it.
Breguet’s signature fluted caseband is present, executed in the same way it has been for decades, cold-rolled into the metal and finished by hand. It’s a detail that feels subtle until you compare it with something that doesn’t have it.
The lugs are welded directly to the case and secured with screw pins. It’s a construction method that has remained consistent within the Classique line, not because it needs to be preserved for tradition’s sake, but because it continues to work exactly as intended.
Case Dimensions With a 6.5mm case, the watch sits significantly flatter than most automatic pieces, which typically range closer to 9 to 12mm. On the wrist, it doesn’t project outward. It stays close and creates a profile that feels far more aligned with traditional dress watches.
Hands and Hour Markers Breguet’s open-tipped “pomme” hands are rendered in rose gold, creating a subtle contrast against the white gold case. It’s a small detail, but one that prevents the hands from visually merging into the rest of the watch.
The design itself dates back to Abraham-Louis Breguet, and like most elements in the Classique line, it has remained unchanged for a reason.
Hour markers are kept minimal, reduced to small rose gold dots. They serve their purpose without interrupting the dial. Because here, the dial is the focus, and everything else is designed to highlight its appeal.
Strap and Buckle The watch is paired with a green alligator leather strap and a white gold ardillon buckle.
The choice of green is not incidental. It directly reflects the dial's tones, creating a sense of continuity across the watch without making the connection too obvious.
The buckle remains in white gold, maintaining consistency with the case. Without additional elements and unnecessary variation, just aligned with the continuation of the same design language carried through to the final detail.
What Makes The Dial So Extraordinary
The beauty of this dial is difficult to put into words, because this isn’t surface decoration applied for effect, it’s something that has been carved, shaped, and brought to life step by step from a solid block of gold.
It begins with a solid 18K gold plate. The engraver cuts the entire composition directly into it, the snake, every scale, the surrounding foliage, all executed by hand under magnification. There’s no template doing the work here, and more importantly, no room for correction. One mistake, and the dial is set aside.
Once the engraving is complete, the work moves into bas-relief. The background is carefully removed to raise the snake above the surface, giving it a sculptural depth that changes how light interacts with the dial.
From there, the finishing introduces contrast. A black galvanic treatment settles into the recessed areas, separating the raised engraving from the background without overpowering it. The dial is then prepared for guilloché and applied to the flat sections using Breguet’s historical engine-turning lathes, machines preserved because they produce a quality that modern tools still struggle to match.
The final layer is color. Translucent green lacquer is hand-applied in multiple tones to the foliage, creating variation across the leaves rather than a uniform finish.
The result is a dial with real depth and texture, one that doesn’t reveal everything at once. It draws you in slowly, and the more time you spend with it, the more it gives back.
Mechanics Behind the Watch: Movement and Performance
Inside the Classique 7145BB sits Breguet’s calibre 502.3, an ultra-thin self-winding movement measuring just 2.4mm in height, and still one of the thinnest automatic calibres in regular production.
There are no additional complications layered into it. Hours and minutes, executed with clarity and restraint, in line with the overall intent of the watch.
Because once you look at the proportions, the decision becomes obvious. Introducing complexity would have added thickness, and that thickness would have immediately altered how this watch sits and wears.
Calibre 502.3
The 502.3 is a movement Breguet has relied on for years, not because it is simple, but because it achieves something far more difficult, maintaining thinness without compromising structural integrity or finishing.
At 2.4mm, it allows the case to remain at 6.5mm overall thickness, which is unusually slim for an automatic watch. That dimension is not incidental. It defines how the watch interacts with the wrist, how it disappears under a cuff, and how it maintains the character expected from a Classique piece.
Automatic Winding System: The movement is wound via an off-centred rotor in 22K gold, a configuration that preserves space while maintaining efficient winding.
The rotor itself is finished with a hand-guilloché barleycorn pattern, visible through the sapphire caseback. It’s not treated as a purely functional component. The finishing matches the standard seen throughout the watch and reinforces the idea that nothing here is left unconsidered, even on the side that is usually overlooked.
Power Reserve: The watch offers approximately 45 hours of power reserve from a full wind. In practical use, this means it can be set aside for a day or two without interruption.
Frequency: The movement operates at 3Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour. It’s a traditional frequency, chosen for consistency and long-term stability rather than higher oscillation rates, aligning with the overall approach of the movement, measured, controlled, and proven over time.
Water Resistance: Water resistance is rated at 30 meters (3 BAR). It’s exactly what you would expect. Sufficient for daily wear and occasional exposure, without attempting to position the watch beyond its purpose.
Inside the Calibre 502.3: Engineering and Technical Details
The calibre 502.3 is not a new movement. It traces its origins back several decades and, over time, has been refined rather than replaced. In a market that often chases novelty, this movement has stood the test of time because it still does its job better than most, especially when the goal is to keep an automatic watch this thin without compromising reliability.
Movement Dimensions: The movement measures 27.4mm in diameter and just 2.4mm in thickness.
That 2.4mm figure is where everything begins. It’s what allows the entire watch to sit at 6.5mm, which, for a self-winding piece, is exceptionally slim. In most automatic watches, additional thickness comes from the winding system itself. Here, that has been engineered down to a point where it almost disappears within the case. And that’s the difference you feel immediately.
Silicon Balance Spring The movement uses a flat silicon balance spring, which brings a set of advantages that traditional alloy springs simply can’t offer.
It is resistant to magnetic fields, which are increasingly difficult to avoid in daily life, and it doesn’t require the same level of lubrication over time. More importantly, silicon maintains its elasticity across temperature changes, which helps the movement remain consistent whether the watch is worn indoors, outdoors, or across varying conditions.
It’s a modern material, but used here without altering the movement's overall character.
Component Count The calibre consists of 162 components, including 35 jewels placed at key friction points.
Those jewels aren’t there for decoration. They reduce wear across moving parts, improve efficiency, and extend the working life of the movement. It’s a level of construction you expect at this tier, but it’s still worth noting how tightly everything is packaged within such a thin profile.
Sapphire Caseback The watch is fitted with a sapphire caseback, offering a full view of the movement.
The first thing you notice is the off-centred 22K gold rotor, finished with a hand-guilloché barleycorn pattern. It catches light differently as it moves, giving the back of the watch a sense of depth that matches what you see on the dial side. It’s not a movement that hides behind a solid caseback. It’s meant to be seen.
Other Celebrated Timepieces from Breguet's 250th Anniversary Collection
The 7145BB doesn't exist in isolation. It landed during Breguet's 250th anniversary, which was one of the most active release periods the maison has had in years. Thirteen new references in total. Several of them are worth knowing if you're following this series.
Breguet Classique Souscription 2025BH/28/9W6
The most talked-about release of the anniversary collection is 2025BH/28/9W6. A single-hand watch built on the concept of Breguet's original 18th-century subscription watches, with a white grand feu enamel dial, a new proprietary Breguet gold alloy case, and a hand-wound movement with a 96-hour power reserve. Stripped back to the point of being almost radical.
Breguet Classique 7145BA/15/9WU06
Ref. 7145BA/15/9WU06 is the yellow gold variant of the same snake dial, same calibre 502.3, same eight-piece limitation. The yellow gold case warms the whole composition differently from the white gold, giving it a slightly more classical presentation.
Breguet Classique 7185BH/159/W6 07
Part of the same zodiac-inspired series and covered in detail on our blog here. The 7185BH/159/W6 07 marks the Year of the Horse using Breguet gold, the new proprietary alloy introduced for the anniversary, with the same 40mm Classique proportions and equally detailed dial work.
Breguet Classique 7225BH/0H/9V6
Ref. 7225BH/0H/9V6 is a highly ambitious piece, featuring Breguet's magnetic-pivot technology and operating at an extraordinary 10Hz for a mechanical caliber. Rated to within ±1 second per day. It's the opposite end of the anniversary spectrum from the art-focused zodiac pieces: precision over decoration, though the finishing is still very much Breguet.
Breguet Classique 7035BH/H2/9V6
A retrograde seconds model combining decorated dial construction with a more complex mechanical display. Breguet classique réf. 7035BH/H2/9V6 is another piece from the anniversary collection that shows how wide the range of the Classique line actually is when Breguet decides to push it.
Discover Breguet Timepieces at Jewels By Love
Jewels By Love is an authorized retailer of Breguet and other highend watch brands like Patek Philippe, Nomos, and Cartier. Every timepiece is delivered with its original box, documentation, and manufacturer's backing.
References like the Classique 7145BB are produced in extremely limited numbers, just 8 pieces worldwide, which makes availability highly restricted from the outset. Pieces at this level are rarely seen in open circulation, and inquiries must be made directly through authorized channels.
Alongside these limited editions, we also assist with other Breguet novelties and current collection pieces, subject to availability.
Our boutique in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, operates in a duty-free environment, offering a more considered purchase for collectors looking for high-end shopping.
For availability, specific references, or upcoming novelties, you can reach out to our team directly. Our team brings decades of experience and will be pleased to guide you through the Breguet collection.
