The new Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5555 for the Brand’s 250th Anniversary

Celebrating 250 years as a watch brand is a remarkable achievement in itself. However, if it’s a brand founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the undisputed horological star of the 18^th century, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. Paying homage to this significant milestone, Breguet has released four anniversary editions in Breguet gold cases. The fifth anniversary makeover corresponds to the Marine Hora Mundi, a globetrotter’s watch that instantly switches from one time zone to another with the touch of a button, along with other technical goodies on board to ensure a smooth ride. Featuring a double-layered dial with an incredible phosphorescent effect, the 24 time zones of the Marine Hora Mundi can be personalised to the whims of 50 lucky collectors.

The practical calibre 77F1

Before looking at this anniversary edition, a quick word on the exceptional mechanics of Breguet’s calibre 77F1. Unlike conventional GMT watches, the Hora Mundi does not feature an extra hand or sub-dial. While the central hands are used to indicate local time, they also indicate reference time on demand. By selecting the desired city with the crown at 8 o’clock and then pressing the pusher inside the crown, the central hands perform an instant jump, indicating local or reference time. However, the technology goes one step further, simultaneously forcing the date and day/night indicators to jump forward or backwards accordingly. Thanks to the patented complication, which relies on a system of cams, hammers, and an integrated differential, switching between time zones is effortless.

Honouring Abraham-Louis Breguet’s title as Watchmaker to the French Royal Navy in 1815, Breguet created the nautically inspired Marine collection in 1990 and revamped it in 2017. While the new Marine Hora Mundi shares technical specifications with the earlier edition, with its 43.9mm case and 77F1 calibre, the comparisons end here. Thanks to the two superimposed dials, the composition exudes a deep, rounded effect, like a world globe.

The new Hora Mundi 250th anniversary

The gold base dial, decorated with a horizontal gradient transitioning from sky blue at the centre to navy blue on the periphery, is embellished with handmade guilloché meridians and parallels, creating the optical illusion of a curved Earth. The viewpoint is inspired by NASA’s “Black Marble” nocturnal view of Earth.

The second dial, crafted from translucent sapphire crystal, is positioned above the guilloché base. Using miniature enamel painting, the continents are painted on the reverse side of the sapphire crystal, and their contours as they reach the flange are pad-printed in Grand Feu enamel to create volume. The clouds are also hand-painted in enamel on the top side of the crystal and given the Grand Feu treatment. The third stage involves miniature phosphorescent enamel painting to light up the cities at night. Not to be confused with Super-LumiNova, the patent-pending phosphorescent enamel is unique to Breguet.

Last but not least, the applied Roman numerals in blued gold feature light grey Super-LumiNova, matching the Breguet gold apple-shaped hour and minute hands, as well as the applied markers on the flange. The day/night indicator features a Breguet gold Sun with a sunburst finish and a hand-hammered half Moon.

Inspired by the tonalities of gold used by 18^th-century watchmakers, the warm hue of Breguet gold is employed for the 43.9mm case, which has a thickness of 13.8mm. What might come as a surprise for a watch of this complexity is its reassuring 100-metre water-resistance. Decorated with the signature fluted case middle, some details make it unique. For one, the central attachment is polished, and the caseback features the special 250^th-anniversary guilloché pattern known as Quai de l’Horloge. Another distinguishing feature is the Breguet gold rotor.

A sapphire crystal porthole on the caseback offers a glimpse of Breguet’s in-house calibre 77F1, an automatic movement with a 55-hour power reserve, with the patented modules for the instant jump dual time display and the programmable mechanical memory wheel. The balance wheel beats at a frequency of 4Hz, and the escapement is made of silicon to protect it from corrosion and magnetism. Finishings include Côtes de Genève and perlage, in line with Breguet’s traditional haute horlogerie standards.

Availability & Price

The watch is paired with a navy blue alligator leather strap and a Breguet gold triple-folding clasp; an additional rubber strap is provided in the red Moroccan leather case. Limited to 50 pieces with the option of customising the city disc, the individually numbered Marine Hora Mundi 5555 retails for CHF 88,000 (incl. tax). More information at breguet.com.