Timepieces created for marine exploration evolved to be strapped around the wrist.
During the early dawn of the mechanical watch revival, Breguet decided to launch a new watch in 1990 to commemorate its emblematic Marine Chronometer with the new Marine collection, a range of wristwatches with the same precision, if not even more so, than the rather large and boxy Marine Chronometer, for the mariners of today. The inaugural collection was designed by one Jorg Hysek, who is also a revered watchmaker in his own right. The Marine collection's aesthetics have undergone several tweaks over the years, but the basic architecture and DNA remain the same.
In 2018, the Marine Collection went through another design tweak, which design carries directly into the current collection. The aesthetics are both classic and sporty with a touch of modernity; it has a two-step rounded edge bezel, and it frames a dial that is decorated with a “Quai de L’Horloge” guilloche pattern. An hour chapter ring is decorated with Breguet’s Arabic numerals hour markers and dotted with Super-LumiNova just next to it. The hours and minutes Breguet iconic 'Apple' hands filled with Super-LumiNova, and a central seconds hand with a skeletonised ‘B’ for a maritime pennant “Bravo” counterweight. The case design is tough and sporty yet retains a touch of Greco-Roman touch of classicism, apparent on the caseband, which bears the brand’s DNA: the vertical fluting design, with lugs that are integrated into the case. You have the choice of a bracelet or a rubber strap. They all culminate in the robustness needed as a watch for a mariner.
The Breguet 250th Anniversary Marine Collection comes in the form of the Hora Mundi Ref. 5555, and this year Breguet decided to present two more in the collection; they unveiled two timepieces: the Marine 5517 and the Marine Chronographe 5527. Let’s have a closer look and see what they are made of.
The Marine 5517 is, shall we say, the tool watch of the family, as it functions for the basic requirements; it possesses three hands- hour, minute and second hands- and a date window symmetrically located at six o’clock. It comes in three variants: a white gold version, which comes with a decorated gold dial in ice blue with a rhodium-plated hour chapter ring with appliqué Breguet Arabic numerals in blued gold and repeated on the date frame. The hands are in blued gold as well. The rose gold version comes with a decorated black gold dial. It has a black hour chapter ring with appliqué rose gold Breguet Arabic numerals and ditto on the date frame. The hour and minute hands are in rose gold, and the seconds hand is gold-toned. The final version, this time round, is titanium. It has a decorated blued gold gradient dial. A blued hour chapter ring with appliqué Breguet Arabic numerals in rose gold and ditto on the date’s gold window frame. And repeated on the hour and minute hands, with a gold-toned seconds hand.
They are powered by an automatic Calibre 777A with a spring and silicon escapement emitting 28,800 Vph (4 Hz), and harness 55 hours of power reserve via a gold rotor inspired by the rudder. The sporty classic is encased in a 40mm case, in white gold, rose gold and titanium, with either a complementary bracelet or rubber strap.
The Marine Chronographe 5527. What would a collection for mariners be without a chronograph, as every sports watch collection should? It shares all the design cues of its three-hand siblings, except for a few features that reflect its central function, the chronograph. This chronograph variant comes in three versions as well. The white gold version comes, of course, with a hand-decorated blue-to-gold gradient dial, a rhodium-plated hour chapter ring with grey gold applique Breguet Arabic numerals hour markers, and SuperLuminova minute dots encircling the flange. Two rhodium-plated sub-dials are positioned at three o’clock (chrono minute counter) and at nine o’clock (continuous seconds counter). The hour, minute, and sub-dial indicators are in grey-treated gold hands, and a grey gold-tone central flyback chronograph seconds hand. The date window frame is in grey gold. The rose gold version has a hand-decorated dark blue gradient dial. A blue hour chapter ring comes with appliqué Breguet gold Arabic numerals hour markers. The minute indexes are in gold on the flange. The two sub-dials at three and nine o’clock have white markers and gold hands. The hour and minute hands are in rose gold, and the central flyback chronograph hand is rose gold-toned. The date window frame is in rose gold. The Titanium version has a hand-decorated grey gold gradient. A rhodium-plated hour chapter ring with grey-treated gold applique Breguet Arabic numerals hour markers. Titanium minute indexes on the flange. The two sub-dials are rhodium-plated with grey-toned gold indicators, and the date window frame at six o’clock is likewise in grey-toned gold. The hour and minute hands are in grey-toned gold, and the central chronograph hand is grey-toned.
They are powered by the Manufacture automatic calibre with inverted in-line lever escapement and a flat balance spring, both in silicon, emitting 28,800 vph (4HZ), and a flyback function. It has a power reserve of 48 hours, harnessed by a rudder-inspired gold weight. They are housed in a 42.3mm case in white gold, rose gold or titanium and come with an integrated corresponding bracelet or rubber strap.
They are two examples of the perfect companion for a mariner; it depends on whether you are a leisure sailor or one with a competitive soul. Either one is a perfect choice, as they embody everything that is iconic or invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself, and are imbued with the latest technology available to make them the perfect precision device for the open sea or dry-docked.
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