Perspectives

Interpretation of its Hora Mundi model within the Marine technical and aesthetic feats.

Travel at a click. The Hora Mundi became an instant hit at the time of its launch. This mechanical watch, which had taken three years to develop and been awarded four patents, featured a critical asset in the shape of an instant-change dual-time display with the memory function.

This technical feat is accomplished via the pusher and crown. Having selected the first city’s time and date, the owner of the watch need only set the second city. The watch mechanism then calculates the time and date by means of a clever system of cams, hammers, and an integrated differential. At that point, simply pressing the pusher is enough to travel from one end of the planet to the other, all without disturbing the accurate running of the watch.

Functions: calendar, dual time zone, day/night indicator Escapement: inverted lateral lever escapement with silicon horns, escape-wheel, and flat balance-spring.

Visual Escapism

The dial offers a fascinating interpretation of the world on the wrist by a play on materials and superimposed plates. On the first gold base, the hand-guilloché waves lap gently against the shores of the continents. The sunburst dial base, attired in abyssal blue, creates the impression of a permanent waltz of the wave motifs. This effect may also be due to the way in which the continents are depicted: an additional plate made of sapphire is composed of the metallised meridians and the continents are treated to horizontal satin brushing, while their coastlines are subtly outlined with a metallic turquoise border.

The Importance of Details

Making the dial legible while endowing each indication with a special aesthetic: for Breguet, luxury resides in details, which is notably why the hour and minute hands as well as the hour-markers are adorned with a luminescent material, ensuring nocturnal legibility. The Sun and the Moon, posi tioned at 4 o’clock, are hand-hammered to create a strongly realistic result. Displayed through a 12 o’clock aperture, the date 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 subtle finish, referred to as brouillage, is an ancient watchmaking decoration that has been updated and creates a matt, yet shiny effect. It also facilitates reading while remaining discreet.

The cities, corresponding to 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.

Functions: calendar, dual time zone, day/night indicator. Escapement: inverted lateral lever escapement with silicon horns, escape-wheel, and flat balance-spring.

A Unique Movement

The 43.9 mm-diameter case, available in a choice of white or rose gold, houses Calibre 77F1, whose balance oscillates at a frequency of 4 Hz. This mechanical self-winding movement is fitted with an escapement, made of silicon – resistant to both corrosion and wear. It is also insensitive to the effects of magnetic fields. Calibre 77F1 features a unique

asset in the form of its patented additional modules a time-zone mecha- nism, a second time-zone display, a programmable & reprogrammable mechanical memory wheel, and a pointer-type day/night display.

Breguet and the Navy

Recognised as an outstanding scientist and technician, Abraham-Louis Breguet linked his destiny to that of the French Navy in 1814 when he became a member of the Bureau des Longitudes by royal decree, alongside academics, such as Delambre, Biot, and Laplace. One of the bureau’s roles was to solve astronomical problems, related to determining the longitude at sea. It was, however, one year later that King Louis XVIII awarded Breguet with one of the most honourable titles of the era – The Watchmaker to the Royal Navy. The fleets of the greatest explorers sailed, equipped with a Breguet timekeeping system. Today, the Marine line, with its elegant, yet sporty look, is one of the brand’s emblematic collections