Are Breguet Watches Good For Investment In 2025? (Best Models & ROI)

When people talk about luxury watches as investments, familiar names like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet usually dominate the conversation. However, for those who dig deeper into the world of high horology, Breguet watches stand out as an underappreciated gem—offering not only rich history but also solid long-term investment potential.

Founded in 1775, Breguet isn’t just another Swiss watchmaker. This is the brand that literally shaped modern mechanical watchmaking. From inventing the tourbillon to developing the iconic Breguet hands and guilloché dials, they’ve contributed more to watchmaking’s DNA than arguably any other house.

Yet despite its monumental legacy, Breguet remains somewhat discreet. You won’t typically see influencers flashing Breguet pieces on social media, nor will you hear about multi-year waitlists at boutiques.

They’re watches that avoid hype cycles yet quietly appreciate, thanks to extremely fine finishing, low production numbers, and a collector market that’s slowly waking up to their true value.

Analysts and seasoned watch investors are paying closer attention to Breguet. Auction houses like Christie’s and Phillips are spotlighting vintage and complicated Breguet models more frequently, and resale platforms report an uptick in demand—especially for pieces with original papers, low production numbers, or historically significant complications.

History of Breguet

To understand why Breguet watches are increasingly seen as smart investments in 2025, it helps to start with their truly remarkable story. Few watch brands can claim to have literally changed the course of horology. Breguet can—and did.

Founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris back in 1775, Breguet was never content just to make watches. He sought to revolutionize them. By 1780, Breguet had introduced the first self-winding watch, called the “Perpétuelle,” decades before the Swiss would standardize the concept.

Not long after, he developed the world’s first shock protection system (pare-chute)—a small invention that saved countless pocket watches from destruction.

But his crowning glory was arguably the tourbillon, patented in 1801. As Jean-Claude Biver, one of the modern titans of Swiss watch marketing, once said,

“Without Breguet, modern watchmaking would not exist in the same way. He didn’t just shape design—he reshaped physics inside a watch.”

This legacy is still alive in every Breguet piece today. The brand continued through wars, revolutions, and multiple ownership changes, eventually landing under the Swatch Group umbrella.

Unlike many luxury brands that chase trends, Breguet has stayed remarkably true to its DNA: hand-guilloché dials, blued steel Breguet hands, off-center registers, coin-edge cases, and movements decorated in ways only serious collectors tend to fully appreciate.

Today, every Breguet watch is assembled in Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. Production remains limited—estimated at fewer than 15,000 watches annually. Compare that to Rolex’s roughly 1 million per year, and it’s clear why Breguet’s market supply is inherently restrained.

This combination of historic significance, engineering genius, and disciplined production numbers is what makes Breguet so intriguing for investors in 2025. When collectors buy Breguet, they’re not chasing a logo—they’re buying a piece of watchmaking history that continues to evolve in subtle, highly technical ways.

Which Breguet Watches Hold Their Value Best?

When investors consider Breguet watches, they often look for models that combine discreet luxury with the brand’s long-standing technical heritage. Certain lines have consistently demonstrated stronger price retention and collector enthusiasm. Here’s how they break down:

• Breguet Classique: The Classique line is essentially Breguet distilled into its purest form—slim cases, coin-edge fluting, blued pomme hands, and hand-guilloché dials. Because of these timeless aesthetics, Classiques tend to remain appealing across generations. Secondary market data typically shows these watches holding 80–95% of retail, with platinum and enamel dial variants often trading at the higher end due to their scarcity and enduring appeal.
  
  
• Breguet Marine: This is Breguet’s modern sport-luxury family, designed with more robust dimensions and water resistance up to 100 meters. The latest generation—especially in titanium or with blue dials—has seen rising demand among younger collectors seeking an all-rounder that still carries serious watchmaking pedigree. Market figures indicate Marines hover around 85–90% of their original retail, and limited dial configurations can sometimes push higher.
  
  
• Breguet Tradition: The Tradition series turns the movement architecture into the star by placing the mainspring barrel, gear train, and escapement prominently on the dial side. It’s a direct nod to Breguet’s 18th-century souscription pocket watches. Collectors love this link to horological history, and as a result, many Tradition references maintain 90–100% of retail, with boutique exclusives or numbered editions frequently exceeding that.
  
  
• Breguet Type XX / XXI: Originally developed in the 1950s as pilot’s chronographs for the French military, the Type XX family blends aviation utility with Breguet finishing. Vintage Type XXs are seeing particularly strong auction interest, fetching between $20,000 to over $50,000 depending on originality. Meanwhile, modern Type XXI pieces remain a popular entry into Breguet, retaining roughly 75–85% of their retail value, supported by a growing community of collectors who appreciate the tool-watch look paired with historic provenance.
  
  

Features of Breguet Watches

What truly separates Breguet watches from other luxury timepieces is not only the historical weight behind the name but also a specific set of design and mechanical traits that have become benchmarks in fine watchmaking. Here’s a closer look at what makes them special:

• Hand-Guilloché Dials: Most Breguet watches feature traditional engine-turned dials crafted on century-old rose engines. This means every swirling Clous de Paris or barleycorn pattern is unique, catching light differently from mass-produced stamped textures. Collectors often cite this craftsmanship as one of the reasons Breguet’s dials are still among the finest in the world.
  
  
• Breguet Hands and Numerals: Those instantly recognizable blued “pomme” or “moon-tip” hands—paired with elegant Breguet Arabic numerals—trace back to the late 1700s. Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced this understated style as a break from the ornate Rococo trends of his time. Today, these hands aren’t just cosmetic; they’re also thermally blued, enhancing corrosion resistance.
  
  
• Coin-Edge Cases: Nearly every Breguet case features fine fluting on its sides, often described as a “coin edge.” This tiny detail requires multiple steps of machining and hand finishing. It’s a subtle visual signature that seasoned watch collectors look for immediately.
  
  
• In-House Movements with Silicon Technology: Breguet equips most of its watches with proprietary movements produced at its facility in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. They often include silicon balance springs and escapements—cutting-edge tech that offers resistance to magnetism and temperature variation. Despite being ultra-classical in appearance, Breguet movements are thoroughly modern inside.
  
  
• Invisible Signature & Secret Craftsmanship: Breguet pioneered the use of discreet anti-counterfeit signatures back in 1795. Even today, many of their dials carry a barely visible “Breguet” script engraved between hour markers, only revealed under specific lighting. It’s a small flourish, but it connects modern buyers to a lineage of watch owners dating back over two centuries.
  
  
• Historical Provenance in Every Reference: Few watch brands can claim their founder literally invented the tourbillon. Abraham-Louis Breguet filed that patent in 1801. Whether it’s a simple Classique or a complex Tradition with visible fusée-chain transmission, every watch carries a design philosophy that began shaping horology itself.
  
  

Breguet Watches Pricing

As of 2025, Breguet firmly occupies the top tier of classical watchmaking, often regarded as offering some of the most historically significant designs and hand-executed finishing in modern horology. Unlike brands that chase rapid volume growth or celebrity hype, Breguet’s pricing remains grounded in a more understated, craftsmanship-driven approach.

Retail prices for Breguet watches have risen modestly over the past five years. This is partly due to global inflation and precious material costs, but also thanks to Breguet’s gradual introduction of enhanced in-house calibres and subtle refinements in dial and case execution.

The result is a collection of watches that quietly signal quality — something collectors who appreciate true haute horology are willing to pay for.

On the secondary market, Breguet is particularly intriguing. Many of its references stay surprisingly close to their original retail levels, while certain discontinued pieces and grand complications even outperform. This is largely because Breguet avoids market flooding; production is deliberately kept low, preserving scarcity.

The outcome? More stable long-term appreciation, with fewer dramatic price swings compared to brands heavily driven by short-lived trends.

For investors, Breguet’s market feels refreshingly rational. Buyers generally care about movement architecture, finishing nuances like hand-guilloché or hand-engraved bridges, and the brand’s legacy as arguably the father of modern watchmaking. This focus supports a steady climb rather than speculative spikes — exactly the kind of trajectory that appeals to watch investors looking for reliable value growth.

Current & Recent Production Models

Discontinued & Collectible Breguet Models

Market Trends

In Europe, particularly in France and Switzerland, Breguet continues to enjoy a unique halo effect — regarded by many collectors as the ultimate connoisseur’s choice. This is especially true for the Classique line, where complete sets with original documentation and unpolished cases command premiums of 10–15% above standard resale.

In Asia, notably in Hong Kong and Japan, investors are increasingly attracted to Breguet’s more avant-garde Tradition series. These models showcase exposed mechanisms and intricate hand-finishing, pushing resale values into the 95–105% of retail range even for lightly worn pieces.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the sportier Marine models are gaining favor among a new generation who appreciate traditional craftsmanship paired with more contemporary proportions. Even here, dealers note that Marine pieces often outperform comparable Swiss sport watches on the pre-owned market in terms of depreciation resistance.

In the Middle East, Dubai and Riyadh buyers lean heavily into precious metal complications — especially Breguet tourbillons, which frequently achieve 15–20% premiums over stainless or basic gold variants in private sales. This segment tends to prioritize mechanical spectacle, with watch collectors often describing Breguet’s tourbillon work as “benchmark-setting.”

Breguet Watches Historical ROI & Performance

When people talk about long-term watch investments, Breguet often enters the discussion a little differently than brands like Rolex or Patek Philippe. It’s not about sudden hype or influencer posts. Instead, Breguet thrives on what serious collectors call “quiet confidence.” The returns may not skyrocket overnight, but they build steadily — and that’s exactly why many seasoned investors consider it a safe haven in high-end horology.

A specialist at Phillips recently summed it up neatly when asked why Breguet values tend to stay so resilient:

“Breguet buyers are usually purists. They chase movement architecture, hand-finishing, and historical importance — not the buzz. That kind of focus makes for stable, predictable growth.”

And if we look at the data from the last five years, this perspective holds true.

From 2020 to 2025, Breguet has delivered dependable appreciation, especially in its more complicated and low-production models:

• In 2024, a platinum Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367 sold at a Geneva auction for $210,000, comfortably above its original $138,000 retail, reflecting an approximate CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of around 8–10%.
• Meanwhile, a pristine Tradition 7057 with original box and papers traded hands privately for $42,000 in early 2025, showing a healthy uplift from its $36,000 retail — translating to 4–5% annualized growth, typical for well-kept pieces.
• Even more telling is the vintage segment. A carefully preserved 1950s Breguet “Souscription” pocket watch fetched $65,000 at a New York auction last year, nearly doubling its last hammer price from 2016.

And it’s not just these headline-makers. Across online platforms like Chrono24 and WatchBox, Marine 5517 models consistently sell at 95–105% of retail, while older Retrograde Date Classiques regularly land in the 90–98% range, depending on service history and case condition.

How Breguet ROI Compares to Other Brands

Unlike some Swiss sports watches, Breguet doesn’t have dramatic peaks and troughs tied to fleeting trends. The result is a more “even slope,” something wealth managers increasingly highlight for clients looking to diversify beyond stocks or real estate.

To illustrate:

• Rolex sports models might show faster spikes but often correct sharply after market exuberance fades.
• Patek complications enjoy strong auction demand but typically require longer holding periods to offset the high entry price.
• Breguet, by contrast, provides a smoother trajectory — most classic references deliver annual ROI in the 4–8% range, with tourbillons and rare métiers d’art pieces comfortably reaching 10–12%, especially when full provenance is documented.

This more measured climb is exactly what appeals to long-horizon investors. It’s the difference between chasing a quick flip and nurturing a solid asset that quietly appreciates year over year.

Market Performance

In 2025, the Breguet market is defined by exactly the kind of quiet strength long-term collectors value. Unlike brands where a single social media post might set prices soaring or sliding, Breguet’s appreciation rests on fundamentals: small production, centuries of horological prestige, and technical mastery.

• Entry-Level Classiques & Basic Marines: Typically maintain 85–95% of retail, with slow upward drift. Ideal for investors who prioritize understated pieces they can wear often without worrying about volatility.
  
  
• Mid-Range Traditions & Advanced Classiques: These models, especially with retrograde complications or small tourbillons, hover at 95–110% of retail, showing dependable traction in global resale markets.
  
  
• High-End Tourbillons & Vintage Pieces: Breguet’s tourbillon legacy (they literally invented it) makes these watches mini blue-chip assets. Returns of 8–12% annually are common, particularly for pristine platinum or hand-engraved limited editions.

Looking forward, many specialists expect Breguet’s steady upward curve to continue. As one auction house VP recently put it:

“Breguet’s story is baked into the very foundation of watchmaking. When you buy a Breguet, you’re not betting on trends — you’re investing in the roots of this entire industry.”

It’s hard to phrase it better. Breguet isn’t about fast hype. It’s about a slow, assured climb underpinned by irreplaceable heritage and top-tier technical craft. For investors with patience, that’s often the most rewarding proposition of all.

Who Should Invest In Breguet Watches In 2025?

• Collectors who prioritize mechanical pedigree over marketing hype: Breguet is quite literally the birthplace of innovations like the tourbillon and the overcoil balance spring. If you’re the kind of investor who values engineering substance — not just brand-driven social buzz — Breguet is arguably the ultimate choice. Many seasoned watch advisors point out that “Breguet is for those who understand what’s under the dial,” and that mechanical credibility tends to hold its value best over decades.
  
  
• Buyers seeking stable, measured appreciation: Unlike more volatile brands that swing with trends, Breguet pricing moves in a calm, upward line. Historical data shows annual returns on most models in the 4–8% range, with tourbillons and heritage references reaching 10–12%. This makes Breguet perfect for investors who don’t want rollercoaster valuations but still expect long-term gains.
  
  
• Investors with a focus on ultra-low production watches: Breguet doesn’t flood the market. Many of its references — especially hand-engraved Classique complications and precious metal Marines — are produced in extremely small numbers. That scarcity builds natural pricing support. It’s why auction houses consistently remark that “finding a mint Breguet from even 10–15 years ago is surprisingly hard,” which keeps demand high.
  
  
• Those diversifying from popular Swiss sports watches: If your portfolio is already heavy on Rolex Submariners, Omega Seamasters, or Patek Nautilus models, adding Breguet introduces a fresh dimension. Not only does it reduce exposure to hype-driven segments, but it also anchors your collection in the kind of classic haute horlogerie that doesn’t rely on mainstream design trends.
  
  
• Collectors looking for discreet prestige: Breguet is a connoisseur’s brand. It doesn’t scream status like a flashy Daytona might — which is exactly the appeal for many high-net-worth buyers in Europe and Asia.
  
  

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