The titanium Marine by Breguet is ready to face the seas and ocean spray

From case to bracelet, the Breguet watches Marine 5517, Marine Chronographe 5527, and Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 feature a titanium design. 

The three titanium models in the Marine collection are now available with bracelets of the same material, adding robust and light properties to this collection. Breguet pairs the titanium with a sunburst slate-gray dial in gold. The sobriety of these shades of grey underlines the contemporary design of the Marine. 

Many details of the collection have been inspired by the seafaring world, recalling the title of Chronometer-maker to the French Royal Navy bestowed upon Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1815. In its continuous quest for reliability, the House of Breguet uses self-winding manufacture calibers, precision-tested in six different positions.

The Marine 5517 with date display beats to the rhythm of the 777A caliber, the Marine Chronographe 5527 comes with a 582QA caliber, while the Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 incorporates the 519F caliber, and includes an alarm function, a display for a second time zone, and the date.

TITANIUM PERFORMANCE  

Titanium provides resistance to salty air and corrosion, while ensuring that the watch is both light in weight and robust. The artisans have applied their know-how to designing the titanium bracelet with a satin-brushed finish for each of its links.

Such a watchmaking finish demands of the artisans an absolute mastery of their craft so as to obtain perfectly homogeneous micro-grooving. Its case is also satin-brushed, while the bezel has been polished, which creates different light effects and subtle contrasts. 

ESSENTIAL READABILITY  

The Breguet style stands out for its readability and originality. Several details in the Marine dial have been inspired by the seafaring world. The second hand counterweight bears the maritime signal flag corresponding to Breguet’s initial. The brilliance of the polished and faceted open-tipped Breguet hands contrasts with the sunburst slate-grey background. For use at night, the open tips of the hands and the five-minute markings above the polished Roman numerals are coated with a luminescent material. In this composition of a harmonious sobriety, the counter numerals and the Breguet signature take on a shade of white. 

EXCEPTIONAL CALIBER 

The Marine Alarme Musicale is equipped with a self-winding 519F/1 caliber of 376 pieces. Given the energy needed to sound the alarm, the caliber has two barrels – one for the movement of the watch, and another for the alarm function. Both wind up simultaneously during self-winding, or in series during manual winding.

A push button placed at 8 o’clock makes it easy to activate or deactivate the alarm function. When the alarm is enabled, a marine bell will appear in an opening at 12 o’clock under the Breguet signature. Both the time of the watch and the alarm function can be set without either interfering with the other.

Finally, the power-reserve indicator of the alarm function is located on the dial between the numerals IX and XII. The caliber allows the display of a second time zone and the date, adjustable in both directions, without changing the reference time or the alarm. 

The sapphire-crystal caseback shows the finishes of the movement, which are common to all calibers in the Marine collection. On the caliber bars, the côtes de Genève enhanced by guilloche design call to mind a ship’s deck boards. The design of a rudder is found on the gold rotor. Each caliber is numbered individually and signed Breguet. And the words Horloger de la Marine (Chronometer-maker to the Navy) are engraved on the caseback. 

CHRONOMETER-MAKER TO THE ROYAL NAVY 

In 1815, King Louis XVIII of France recognised the exceptional qualities of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s marine chronometers, 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 the Breguet naval clocks – both a great honour and a heavy responsibility. In 1840, a Breguet instrument was the first timepiece to reach the Antarctic, with the Jules Dumont d’Urville expedition. The connection between the House of Breguet and the seafaring world has been a constant theme for two centuries. 

• This article was paid for by Breguet.