Souscription (watch)

Between 1793 and 1795, Breguet sought refuge in Switzerland to escape the worst consequences of the Terror. It was then that the idea for a "souscription" (subscription) watch, which customers would reserve with a down payment, came to him. His ambition was to produce a reliable, accurate, quality watch at a reasonable cost price and in sufficiently large batches to satisfy demand. The calibre he created for these watches was especially elegant, with the barrel in the centre and a pleasing symmetrical layout for the train. Generally large in diameter, the souscription watch had a large dial graduated in five-minute increments so that time could be easily read, to within one or two minutes, with a single hand. This did away with the need for motion work, which incidentally causes friction.

A further advantage of these watches was that they were simple enough to be repaired and maintained by any watchmaker, which was far from true of other Breguet watches.