Breguet Updates its Marine 5517 and Marine Chronograph 5527 with More Refined Dials

While Breguet is mostly known for its classic watches adorned with guiloché dials and the numerous inventions of its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, the venerable manufacture nevertheless holds two sportier collections: one intended for aviation (the Type XX), the other for naval exploration (the Marine). And both are actually inspired by important historical moments in the history of the brand and by members of the Breguet family. The Marine, our topic of the day, pays tribute to the moment when A.L. Breguet was appointed “Watchmaker to the French Royal Navy” by the French king Louis XVIII, a year after his admission to the Bureau des Longitudes. Since the 1990s, the Marine has evoked this side of the brand’s history, with the current collection built on a design first seen in 2017. But now, it’s time for the range to undergo a comprehensive facelift, as the time-and-date Marine 5517 and the Marine Chronograph 5527 get brand-new, far more appealing dials and cleaner displays. 

The Breguet Marine collection, a child of the 1990s, was extensively revised in 2017 and 2018, first with the launch of the Equation Marchante Tourbillon Perpetual model,  then with a complete range including the 5517 time-and-date, the 5547 Alarme Musicale and the 5527 Chronograph. Later came the 5557 Hora Mundi and the 5577 Tourbillon, as well as the 5555 Hora Mundi for the brand’s 250th anniversary. All models of this third-generation Breguet Marine share the same overall design and inspiration, with solid cases with a single central lug module, deeply fluted casebands and wave-shaped guards framing the crown. Dials, made of solid gold, featured a guilloché pattern reproducing waves, paired with bold applied, luminous Roman numerals and lumed apple-shaped hands inspired by the traditional Breguet hands, as well as a seconds hand inspired by naval signal flags – the whole set drew on the flag inspiration quite heavily. Titanium models came with cleaner, sunray-brushed dials, but overall, the style was slightly heavy, a feeling reinforced by the presence of unequally sized sub-dials on the Alarme Musicale and Chronograph.

This year, Breguet revamps the two most classic models, the Marine 5517 and Marine Chronograph 5527, giving them new dials with subtler textures, new and fresher colours, cleaner displays, revised markers, and new straps, resulting in sleeker, more modern and ultimately more appealing models, and a total of 6 different versions in white gold, rose gold or titanium.

The new Marine 5517

Technically speaking, we’re not looking at a revolution here, but more a facelift that concerns mostly the dial, colours and display. The Marine 5517 time-and-date sticks to the mechanical formula in use since 2017, starting with its case measuring 40mm in diameter, 11.50mm in thickness and 47.7mm in lug-to-lug. Available in white gold, rose gold or titanium, equipped with a screw-down crown and sapphire crystals, it retains the same design and finish, with a deeply fluted mid case, weave-shaped guards and 100m water resistance. The strap or bracelet is still connected to the case thanks to a central module, giving the watch a certain visual presence and robustness.

Inside the case of the Marine 5517 beats the in-house Calibre 777A, an automatic movement equipped with an inverted in-line lever escapement, a silicon balance spring beating at a 4Hz frequency and boasting a 55-hour power reserve. The decoration includes several nautical elements, such as the bridges engine-turned with thick stripes reminiscent of the planks on a ship’s decking, and a rotor inspired by the lines of a rudder.

Let’s move on to what really changes these watches and, in my opinion, drastically elevates them: the dials. Depending on the chosen material, the Marine 5517 will now be available in fresh new tones: dark blue with rose gold accents for the titanium model, ice blue with dark blue-treated accents for the white gold version, and black with gold accents for the pink gold version. But beyond the new colours, it’s how the dial is made and rendered that changes dramatically. First, the centre of the dial now relies on a hand-guilloché pattern named “Quai de l’Horloge” (unveiled for the brand’s 250th anniversary), paired with a satin-finished hour chapter ring. The engine-turned pattern is then coated with semi-transparent and coloured lacquer to reveal its depth, with the titanium and blue model having a pleasant smoked effect.

Next, the slightly odd applied, luminous Roman numerals have been replaced by far more elegant applied Breguet numerals, made of 18K gold. And if you could argue that these watches have lost a bit of practicality by not having lumed numerals anymore, this is more than offset by the overall elegance of the new style – and in any case, there’s still a minute track at the periphery with lume on the hands. And while the gold hands are still identical to previous versions of the Marine, the display has been revised with the date now positioned at 6 o’clock for a more appealing symmetry of the dial. Finally, the logo is now a solid gold applied element.

Last but not least, each version will be available either on a metal bracelet matching the case’s material or a new rubber strap with a pattern that echoes that of the guilloché dial. All models are released as part of the permanent collection. Titanium models are priced at CHF 20,000 (rubber strap) or CHF 22,700 (titanium bracelet) and the gold models at CHF 37,000 (rubber strap) or CHF 60,800 (gold bracelet).

Quick facts: 40mm x 11.5mm x 47.7mm case in titanium, 18k white or 18k rose gold, screw-down crown, sapphire crystals, 100m water-resistant – solid gold guilloche dials, Breguet numerals and hands in gold – automatic, in-house Calibre 777A, 4Hz frequency, 55h power reserve – rubber strap or metal bracelet in titanium or gold, 3-blade folding clasp

The new Marine Chronograph 5527

Next to the updated time-and-date model, the Marine Chronograph 5527 also undergoes the same evolution, yet retains most of the technical aspects of its predecessor. The case, which measures 42.3mm in diameter, 13.9mm in thickness and 50.7mm in lug-to-lug, is untouched and available in titanium, 18k rose gold, or 18k white gold. Again, water-resistance is still rated at 100m, with sapphire crystals on both sides. Under the back is the in-house automatic calibre 582QA, a cam-operated flyback movement with a silicon hairspring, 4Hz frequency and 48 hours of power reserve. The decoration, like the 5517, includes nautical-inspired stripes and a rotor shaped like a rudder.

The changes to the dial of the Marine Chronograph 5527 are, however, even more substantial than what the brand has done to its time-and-date version. First of all, this version also benefits from the new “Quai de l’Horloge” guilloché pattern, paired with a satin-finished hour chapter ring, new applied Breguet numerals replacing the flag-inspired Roman numerals, yet identical luminous hands. Depending on the version, the dials are coated in different shades of blue or grey, all with a gradient effect darkening at the edges. The titanium model is the most technical-looking, with its grey-to-black dial; the rose gold version feels the most luxurious with its blue-to-navy dial; the white gold model opts for a fresh ice-blue to mid-blue transition and rhodium-plated accents.

There is one important evolution, however, that changes the style of the watch quite drastically. Available before with a tri-counter display, where each counter had its own diameter, the Marine Chronograph 5527 now comes in a more balanced two-register style, displaying the elapsed minutes and the running seconds. In the same vein, the date has been moved from 4:30 before to 6 o’clock now, for a more pleasing symmetry. Both counters are framed by their own ring and are equally sized. Finally, the 5527 also opts for a more traditional applied Breguet logo.

Each version of the Marine Chronograph is available on a tone-on-tone rubber strap with a “Quai de l’Horloge” pattern or a metal bracelet matching the case’s material. All models are released as part of the permanent collection. Titanium models are priced at CHF 25,000 (rubber strap) or CHF 27,700 (titanium bracelet), and gold models at CHF 45,000 (rubber strap) or CHF 71,100 (gold bracelet).

Quick facts: 42.3mm x 13.9mm x 50.7mm case in titanium, 18k white or 18k rose gold, screw-down crown, sapphire crystals, 100m water-resistant – solid gold guilloche dials, Breguet numerals and hands in gold – automatic, in-house flyback Calibre 582QA, 4Hz frequency, 48h power reserve – rubber strap or metal bracelet in titanium or gold, 3-blade folding clasp

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