Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Breguet · Classique
Breguet Classique 43 mm Skeletonised Stainless
Reference 46886ST.65
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Breguet
- Collection
- Classique
- Model
- Breguet Classique 43 mm Skeletonised Stainless
- Reference number
- 46886ST.65
- Year / era
- 1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 500 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 63C — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1996 – 2003
- Limited-edition quantity
- 500 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Breguet Classique 43 mm Skeletonised Stainless sits within Breguet's Classique line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1775 — stainless steel case, skeletonised dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Breguet
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1775
- Founder
- Abraham-Louis Breguet
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Classique, Marine, Tradition, Type XX, Reine de Naples, Heritage
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Notable watches
- Breguet Classique 43 mm Meteorite 18k (1974) · Breguet Classique 43 mm Skeletonised Stainless (1996) · Breguet Classique 39 mm Ice Grade (2001) · Breguet Marine 39 mm Ice Ceramic (1980)
Brand history
Breguet has spent more than 251 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Classique, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Abraham-Louis Breguet established Breguet in 1775, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Breguet calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1775
Abraham-Louis Breguet founds Breguet in Switzerland.
1815
Breguet earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Breguet to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Breguet enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Breguet continues to produce Classique, Marine, Tradition and other icons in limited numbers.