Breguet updates the Marine line with three new models – the Marine 5517, the Chronographe 5527, and the Alarme Musicale 5547 in rose or white gold with matching gold bracelets.
Press Release with commentary in italics
The Marine collection is firmly rooted in the fundamentals of Breguet’s heritage. Back in the late eighteenth century, Abraham-Louis Breguet, the father of modern clock and watchmaking, determined the essentials in the art of fashioning timepieces: reliability and legibility. His many technical innovations, among them the tourbillon, were designed to optimise chronometry and its applications. Just as crucially, an uncluttered aesthetic ensures the pieces are also easy to read.
In 1815, King Louis XVIII of France recognized the exceptional qualities of Breguet’s work, appointing him Chronometer-maker to the French royal navy. From that point on, the success of the royal expeditions was in part dependent on the reliability of his naval clocks – both a great honor and a heavy responsibility. In 1840, for example, a Breguet instrument was the first timepiece to reach the Antarctic, with the Jules Dumont d’Urville expedition. The links between the House of Breguet and the maritime world are as tangible as they have always been.
More on the early history of Breguet in our Part 1 History Article here.
The Breguet Marine
The watches and movements are not new for this year, but the titanium models were released in the Marine refresh in 2019. What is new are the gold cases in 18k rose gold and 18k white gold and the associated gold bracelets which make their appearance now. We have also reviewed the Marine Chronographe of 2018 with alligator strap in detail here. We also reviewed the magnificent Breguet Marine Équation Marchante 5887 here.
Marine 5517, Marine Chronographe 5227, Marine Alarme Musicale 5547
Perfectly placed on its clean, simple three-hand display, the Marine 5517 features a date window.
The Marine 5517 Automatic uses the Breguet caliber 777A is an in-house movement, originally designed as Lemania.
The Marine Chronographe 5527, on the other hand, measures short time intervals.
The movement used in the Chronographe 5527 is the Caliber 582 QA, which is a time and tested column wheel chronograph based on the Lemania 1350.
Finally, the Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 features an alarm complication, as well as displaying the date and time for a second time zone.
The Alarme Musicale has an alarm which sounds through a minute repeater like gong powered by its own barrel. The alarm time is set using the crown, and indicated on a sub-dial at 3 o’clock. An aperture at 12 o’clock indicates the status of the alarm – active or not, and there is a power reserve indicator for the alarm between 9 and 12.A second timezone is provided, and is indicated on a fan shaped device at about 10:30. We have not heard this particular alarm from Breguet, but as the movement – the 519F/1 is not new, we have heard it in previous iterations of the Le Réveil , for example the Ref. 5707. Unlike the mechanical alarms found in most other watches, the sound is rather more refined, and reminiscent of the gong of a repeater.
Each watch is available in three materials: titanium, rose gold, and white gold. The titanium model features an elegantly understated sunburst slate-gray dial in gold. The rose gold and white gold cases feature a gold dial engine turned by hand with an original wave design.
Gold Bracelets
For 2020, Breguet is offering the Marine collection with matching gold straps for a sportier look – rose gold for versions with a silver dial and white gold for those with a blue dial.
The first link, which is attached directly – integrated – to the case, continues the smooth lines of the Marine to the wrist, offering superior comfort for the wearer. Echoing the contrasting gold on the case, the links alternate between polished and glossy facets – a finishing touch of the highest precision, requiring the greatest delicacy.
This is an interesting concept, that the link is directly attached as the absence of lugs would imply that the bracelet is supple and able to curve around the wrist. The bracelet is formed with 3 segments per link and feature brushed surfaces on the top and polished bevels on the sides.
Also visible from the side, except for the screw which attaches the bracelet to the case, there no side screws to secure the links together. A complex, hidden mechanism is used to secure the links via a screw in the back of the middle segment.
A Maritime Aesthetic
The sculpted lugs accentuate the roundness of the case on the Marine models. The fluted case flanks evoke Breguet creations of times gone by. The artisan watchmaker’s skill heightens the dial’s legibility, whilst the bright polished finish of the Breguet moon-tipped hands makes reading the time all but effortless.
For nighttime use, the tip of each hand features a luminescent material, as do the five-minute markers above the Roman numerals. For its Marine collection, Breguet has created an engine-turning pattern inspired by the crests of the waves, executed by hand on the versions in gold.
Countless details from the Marine 5517, Marine Chronographe 5227, and Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 pay homage to the nautical world. On the caliber bridges, the côtes de Genève pattern engine-turned by hand calls to mind a ship’s deck boards.
The tip of the second hand forms a “B,” which stands for the “Bravo” of maritime parlance, or for Breguet. A ship’s wheel design features on the rotor.
With Marine from Breguet, the elegance of adventure lends inspiration to the explorers of today.
Breguet Marine 5517 Specifications
REF. 5517BR/12/RZ0 (rose gold) and REF. 5517BB/Y2/BZ0 (white gold)
Case in 18-carat gold with fluted caseband. Sapphire-crystal caseback. Diameter 40 millimeters. Thickness 11.50 millimeters. Water-resistant to 10 bar (100 meters).
Blue dial in gold, engine-turned. Individually numbered and signed Breguet. Hours chapter with Roman numerals and luminescent dots. Faceted Breguet moon-tipped hands in gold with luminescent material. Central second hand inspired by maritime codes. Date at 3 o’clock.
Mechanical self-winding movement, caliber 777A. 179 components. 15 lignes. 26 jewels. Numbered and signed Breguet. 55hour power reserve. Inverted in-line lever escapement with silicon horns. Frequency 4 hertz. Silicon balance spring. Bracelet in 18-carat white gold.
Breguet Marine Chronographe 5527 Specifications
REF. 5527BR/12/RW0 (rose gold) and REF. 5527BB/Y2/BW0 (white gold)
Case in 18-carat gold with fluted caseband. Sapphire-crystal caseback. Diameter 42.3 millimeters. Thickness 13.85 millimeters. Water-resistant to 10 bar (100 meters).
Blue dial in gold, engine-turned. Individually numbered and signed Breguet. Hours chapter with Roman numerals and luminescent dots. Minute counter at 3 o’clock, hours at 6 o’clock, and small seconds at 9 o’clock. Date window between 4 and 5 o’clock. Faceted Breguet moontipped hands in gold with luminescent material. Central chronograph hand inspired by maritime codes.
Mechanical self-winding movement, caliber 582QA. 346 components. 13½ lignes. 28 jewels. Numbered and signed Breguet. 48-hour power reserve. Inverted in-line lever escapement with silicon horns. Frequency 4 hertz. Silicon balance spring. Bracelet in 18-carat white gold.
Breguet Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 Specifications
5547BR/12/RZ0 (rose gold) and 5547BB/Y2/BZ0 (white gold)
Case in 18-carat gold with fluted caseband. Sapphire-crystal caseback. Diameter 40 millimeters. Thickness 13.05 millimeters. Water-resistant to 5 bar (50 meters).
Blue dial in gold, engine-turned. Individually numbered and signed Breguet. Hours chapter with Roman numerals and luminescent dots. Alarm subdial at 3 o’clock and time-zone display at 9 o’clock. Alarm-activation window at 12 o’clock, and date window at 6 o’clock. Striking mechanism power reserve indicated between 9 and 12 o’clock. Faceted Breguet moon-tipped hands in gold with luminescent material. Central second hand inspired by maritime codes.
Mechanical self-winding movement, caliber 519F/1. 376 components. 12 lignes. 36 jewels. Numbered and signed Breguet. 45-hour power reserve. Inverted silicon in-line lever escapement. Frequency 4 hertz. Silicon balance spring. Bracelet in 18-carat white gold.
