The Breguet Expérimentale 1 takes the 2025 Revolution Award for Best Concept because it introduces technical ideas not previously seen in a mechanical wristwatch. Rather than refining an existing caliber or presenting an aesthetic exercise, Breguet has used this watch to test a new escapement architecture, a new approach to energy delivery and a new way of regulating time within a fully operational piece. It is a concept watch in the strict sense: a controlled environment for developments that may influence future production movements.

Breguet Expérimentale 1 — the world’s first magnetic-escapement tourbillon, showcased in a rose-gold case with a fully skeletonized movement

At the center of the project is the Caliber 7250, which moves away from the traditional Swiss-lever escapement entirely. It employs a magnetic constant-force system built around two escape wheels with magnetic tracks and a lever guided magnetically rather than through mechanical contact. Because the components do not touch, the escapement operates without the sliding contact found in traditional constructions. The magnetic impulse also separates the balance from fluctuations in torque delivered by the gear train, supplying a consistent impulse across the movement’s full operating range.

The tourbillon at 12 o’clock

The tourbillon runs at 10Hz, a frequency far higher than that of conventional tourbillon regulators. The movement is built to support this by ensuring the regulating organ is not slowed by friction within the escapement. Power comes from two barrels arranged to deliver a stable flow of energy over a 72-hour reserve, allowing the balance to maintain amplitude throughout the running period despite the elevated frequency. This approach reflects a practical engineering goal: enabling a fast-beat tourbillon to perform over a normal wearing interval without sacrificing rate stability.

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

The movement is fully exposed within a 43.5mm case made from Breguet gold, with both the dial side and caseback rendered in sapphire. The open architecture makes the new escapement and tourbillon easy to observe and sets the watch apart from Breguet’s more classical offerings. The regulator-style display, with decentralized hours and minutes and small seconds on the tourbillon, references a historic pocket watch but, here, primarily ensures clarity while leaving much of the mechanism visible. The use of straight, modern bridge forms and a rubber strap reinforces the idea that this is a technical study rather than a traditional dress piece.

The reverse side of Caliber 7280: a meticulously hand-finished movement built around the world’s first magnetic escapement tourbillon

Breguet will produce 75 numbered examples. Although entirely functional, the Expérimentale 1 is positioned as a small-series concept rather than the start of a long-term line. The intention is to introduce and refine new technologies, and assess their future potential. It marks one of the most significant technical shifts within the manufacture in recent decades and arrives at a time when the brand is emphasizing its capability in advanced movement development.

Not only marks the final chapter in Manufacture Breguet’s 250th anniversary celebrations, it also represents the first chapter of its future

The Expérimentale 1 receives the award for Best Concept because it presents a clear, integrated response to long-standing challenges in mechanical watchmaking: managing friction, stabilizing torque and improving rate behavior. It does so not through incremental adjustment but through a new escapement and high-frequency regulating system tested in a fully realized watch.