Breguet continues its 250th anniversary celebrations with the stunning dual-dialled Marine Hora Mundi 5555
Tom Austin- Breguet continues its 250th anniversary celebrations with a brand-new limited edition timepiece, dedicated to world travel, the night sky viewed from above, and centuries of Breguet craftsmanship.
- The highlight of the Marine Hora Mundi 5555 is its stunning dual-layered dial, featuring hand-applied phosphorescent enamel in the form of cities across the globe, and a layer featuring guilloché lines to give the dial the illusion of being spherical.
- Limited to just 50 pieces, collectors will be able to personalise the watch by highlighting their personally chosen cities assigned to the 24-hour time zones.
The watch world is a wonderful, varied place, with new brands popping up all the time, and some others that have been around the block a fair bit. It’s fair to say that while these new brands love to disrupt and rock the horological boat, sometimes, the old dogs love to stretch their legs and show the young bucks how it’s done. And there’s none more experienced in doing so than Breguet. This year, they’re celebrating 250 years in the business of making fine watches, and so far, we’ve seen some fantastic celebration watches from the brand that really do remind the competition who’s boss.
Watches such as the Classique Souscription or the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde have not only displayed the brand’s horological abilities but have also helped remind collectors of what has happened over the last quarter-millennium, and Breguet isn’t done yet. The latest 250th anniversary watch, the Marine Hora Mundi 5555, is a perfect demonstration of how Breguet’s horological expertise can be combined with artistic craftsmanship.
To me, the Marine has always been a slightly strange proposition. It’s like Breguet’s take on a sports watch, but I’ve always felt that the very notion of that seemed misplaced. That’s not to take away from the watches, such as the Marine Chronograph 5527, as beautifully crafted, high-end luxury pieces; they certainly are, but it’s never quite been the brand’s absolute strength, so I prefer to see Breguet focus on what they’re excellent at. However, that is precisely what we have here with the Marine Hora Mundi 5555. Yes, it’s a Marine, but not as you know it. This is no standard sports watch.
The watch is indeed still based on the Marine Hora Mundi architecture, 43.9mm in diameter, 13.8mm thick, with centrally focused lugs and a fluted middle section. It’s crafted from beautifully finished 18K Breguet gold, which has a slight hint of a rose-toned hue. While I say it’s not a sports watch, Breguet has still managed to squeeze 100 meters of water resistance from the case, and it even has small crown guards, along with an anti-reflective coated double-domed sapphire crystal, so functionally it’s still no slouch. But I suppose that’s part of its beauty, that deep down it’s built to last, but it still manages to look delicately elegant.
As with several watches like this, the closer you look, the more amazing it becomes. And of course, the biggest eye-catcher on the Hora Mundi 5555 is the dial. Calling it a singular dial is, in fact, inaccurate, because this Hora Mundi features two dials laid on top of each other, generating an optical illusion that I’m not sure I’ve seen before. Inspired by the view of the Earth from space, this watch elevates the display of world travel to a new level of refinement. The first layer is a gold base dial, decorated with a gradation from sky blue to navy blue, which evokes the transition between the sky and the sea. This surface is then hand-guillochéd with fine meridian and parallel lines, converging at four corners of the dial, to represent the curvature of the Earth from above.
The next layer is a flat sapphire crystal, hand-painted in three phases. Firstly, the world’s continents are enamel-painted on the reverse side of the crystal, which is essentially done in a mirror image by the Breguet craftsman. As someone who occasionally turns their hand to drawing and painting, I cannot begin to tell you how difficult this would be. Secondly, after an initial firing, enamel-painted clouds and sky-like features are added to the front of the sapphire crystal to bring some realism. And then, lastly, after a second firing, Breguet craftsmen painstakingly add miniature dots of phosphorescent enamel paint to represent city lights across the globe, which, under the cover of darkness, light up just like they do when viewed from space.
This beautiful dial finish is tastefully interrupted by the technical features of the watch, such as the applied Roman numeral hour markers, the gorgeous 18K Breguet gold hands, a subtle date wheel at 12 o’clock, and a day/night indicator built into the base layer of the dial, which uses a Breguet gold to represent the Sun as it sweeps around. Finally, at six, the world’s cities are displayed for the world-timer indicator, with specific cities being allowed to be highlighted by lucky owners of the watch, to add a subtle personalisation and help remind the wearer of somewhere special.
Flipping the watch over, you’re greeted by a lovingly engraved caseback that features an individual number of each watch up to 50, and naturally, there’s a central section made from anti-reflective sapphire crystal, allowing you to view the gorgeous movement inside. The in-house calibre 77F1 resides inside, the same automatic movement that is featured throughout the Hora Mundi range. Beautifully decorated, it features an 18K Breguet gold oscillating weight, inspired by the helm of a boat, along with côtes de Genève finishing and hand-bevelled edges.
The movement boasts a 55-hour power reserve, and beats at 28,800 vph using a flat silicon balance spring, keeping accuracy in check while delivering dual preset time zones with instant-jumping mechanisms, a synchronised date function, along with a day and night indicator and city world-timer display. It’s a complicated movement, but in typical Breguet fashion, it doesn’t shout about it, and I’d even argue that looking at it through the exhibition caseback, you wouldn’t have a clue it’s as complicated as it is, especially considering it’s only 6.13mm thick.
The blue hues of the dial are paired with a navy blue alligator leather strap, chosen for its large, defined scales and luxurious feel. It’s lined with a finer blue alligator leather and finished with an 18K Breguet gold 3-blade folding clasp. And finally, to remind you that the Marine is apparently still a sports watch, it comes supplied with an additional rubber strap. This would be like putting racing stripes on a Rolls-Royce; the Marine Hora Mundi was born to be on leather, and looks incredible for it.
Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5555 Price & Availability
The Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5555 is limited to 50 pieces, available directly from Breguet. Price: £89,200, A$160,200
| Brand | Breguet |
| Model | Hora Mundi 5555 |
| Reference | 5555BH/YS/9WW |
| Case Dimensions | 43.9mm (D) x 13.8mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18K Breguet gold |
| Water Resistance | 100 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Dual-layer hand-enamelled sapphire with blue gradient guilloche base |
| Strap | Blue alligator leather with 18K Breguet gold 3-blade folding clasp, additional rubber strap |
| Movement | Calibre 77F1, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 55 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, world timer, day/night indicator |
| Availability | Limited to 50 pieces |
| Price | £89,200 A$160,200 |