The Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557 - Travel the World at a Click

This year, Montres Breguet makes a sensational addition to its Marine collection, with the debut of the Marine Hora Mundi 5557. Smart, sophisticated and alluringly eye-catching, this new timepiece boasts one of the brand’s most innovative complications from the past decade or so: the instant-change dual-time display with memory function. Three years in development and awarded four patents, the Hora Mundi (Latin for world time) was an instant hit with collectors at the time of its launch. Now, Breguet has reimagined this complex yet practical timekeeper as the ideal luxurious, sporty travel companion for your globetrotting adventures. Fair warning though, once you put it on, you won’t want to take it off. Keep reading for all the details on the new Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557.

The Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557

Presented in a 43.9mm x 13.8mm case, available in your choice of white or rose gold and rated water resistant to 100m, the Marine Hora Mundi 5557 features a distinctive two-tiered, world time dial. The base dial is crafted from gold and finished in a rich abyssal blue, complete with hand-guilloché waves gently lapping against the shores of the continents. The latter of which are treated to horizontal satin brushing, while their coastlines are subtly outlined with a metallic turquoise border. Overlaying this is an additional plate made of sapphire, featuring metallised meridians as well as the Roman numeral hour markers that are treated with luminescent material. Around the periphery, an outer flange serves as a support for the various elements present on the dial.

In typical Breguet fashion, each indication on the dial has been thoughtfully and carefully finished – luxury resides in the details after all. For example, the Sun and Moon positioned at 4 o’clock – which make up the day/night indicator – are hand-hammered to create a strongly realistic result. While the sun is a luminous rose gold, the moon is rhodium-plated and exudes a mysterious grey appearance. Likewise, the date aperture at 12 o’clock features an additional retrograde hand ingeniously placed beneath the aperture dial and featuring a delicately rounded “U-shaped” tip serving to encircle the date of each passing day. The cities corresponding to the different time zones are indicated at 6 o’clock. A metallised anchor appearing above the window serves to determine the place whose current time you wish to consult. There is a wonderful – and entirely intentional – sense of symmetry and balance to everything.

Time At A Click

Local time is displayed centrally on the Marine Hora Mundi 5557 by hours and minutes hands adorned with luminescent material. The date and day/night indicator also sync up with the local time display. So far, not too dissimilar from most traditional GMT models.  What sets the Hora Mundi apart though is the fact that it does not use an additional hand/sub-dial/bezel, etc. for its second time display. Instead, you simply pull out the secondary crown at 8 o’clock and rotate it to select the city you wish to know the current time, say for example, Paris.

Once the city has been selected in the aperture, activating the pusher in the same crown at 8 o’clock triggers the central time display to instantly jump to the time in Paris. Not only that, the day/night indicator and date display also jump instantaneously to reflect the new time zone you are currently observing. Of course, local and reference cities can be switched as many times as necessary as you journey around the world (even if you don’t leave your desk to do it).

This technical feat is made possible by the Breguet Calibre 77F1, which features a unique asset in the form of its patented additional modules for the dual time-zone mechanism, the second time- zone display, the programmable and reprogrammable mechanical memory wheel and the pointer- type day/night display. This self-winding movement oscillates at a frequency of 4Hz and delivers a 55-hour power reserve. It’s also fitted with a silicon escapement – a material with multiple properties that is resistant to both corrosion and wear. It is also insensitive to the effects of magnetic fields. Partially visible through a sapphire porthole crystal on the case back, the movement is finished to Breguet’s high standards, including Côtes de Genève and perlage.

Choose Yours

Available on your choice of a leather strap, rubber strap, or a gold bracelet matching the case metal, the Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557 is now a part of the permanent Marine collection. As such, it is not limited by number but rather by Breguet’s inherently low annual production volumes due to the brand’s labour intensive and highly artisanal manufacturing processes.

Whether you are a globetrotter who likes to travel in style or simply want to check if the markets have opened half-way across the world, the new Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557 is the timepiece for you. To arrange a private viewing of this sublime timepiece – it really must be seen in person to be fully appreciated – please contact Watches of Switzerland today.