Marine Chronograph 5527: unmistakably Breguet

Talking about Breguet is never easy. There is always some reverential awe towards a brand that has not only made watchmaking history, but put quite simply, it IS watchmaking history. And it is so regarding all its collections, starting with the Breguet Marine, which this article is about, with a focus on one model in particular: the Chronograph 5527. But portraying a Breguet Marine would not be possible without understanding the weight that this collection has in the House’s tradition and history.

THE BREGUET MARINE COLLECTION

Breguet launched it in 1990 and has continued to develop it ever since. Such a line could not be missing from the brand’s portfolio, given its rich tradition of timepieces designed for the sea. Ocean exploration has been an important part of Breguet’s history since the House was founded by Abraham-Louis in 1775. From the invention of the marine chronometer by John Harrison in 1761, it became an indispensable instrument on ships, particularly in imperial fleets.

Compared to other time-measuring devices of the time, marine chronometers were very advanced and had to be extremely accurate: an error of just one second could mean fifteen minutes of longitudinal error, or about 400 metres. Moreover, they had to be robust to withstand the ships’ constant motion.

Breguet paid particular attention to the design of its marine chronometers. As well as being accurate, they were mounted inside wooden cases on a structure called the ‘gimbal suspension system’, which kept them level regardless of the movement of the ship. In 1820, Breguet developed the ‘montre à doubles secondes’, also known as the ‘observation chronometer’, almost a forerunner of the modern chronograph, which was purchased by the French Navy in 1822. It combined robustness and precision, two characteristics that are also found in the current Marine collection. In addition to these, however, there is a third element that is by no means negligible: elegance. Which is also found in the Marine Chronograph 5527.

THE BREGUET MARINE CHRONOGRAPH 5527

With the Marine collection, Breguet has done something that other brands have tried to achieve, without success: to create a modern, sporty mechanical wristwatch with a completely classical aesthetic and decorative spirit. A combination of a futuristic vision and a glance at the past that Breguet has always adhered to, even with the Marine Chronograph 5527. The result is a luxury sports watch for everyday wear that embodies the aesthetic qualities for which Breguet is renowned. The design is distinctive of the brand, so that when you see the watch you immediately think of Breguet. But it is also versatile, with a look that matches casual wear quite well. 

Ultimately, the Breguet Marine Chronograph 5527, which hasbeen in the collection for some years now, has all this. Starting with those aesthetic codes typical of the Maison that we wrote about in a previous article. The case with its so-called coin knurled finish is large but not bulky, 42.3 mm by 13.85 mm thick. In the versions you see in these pages, it is in rose gold or white gold, but there is also a version in titanium, introduced into the collection about six years ago.

The fact that the bezel is almost absent ensures that the dial is large and easy to read, with a classic guilloché finish with a motif recalling sea waves. The guillochage continues inside the three counters, whose layout is unusual but not lacking in elegance. Their layout is rather classic, with the 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, the 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and the small seconds counter at 9 o’clock. What is unusual is the fact that they are all of different diameters – decreasing in the sequence of 3, 6 and 9 o’clock – and that the 30-minute counter is slightly superimposed on the 12-hour counter, so as to ‘erase’ the number 1 on the latter.

As written above, their inner part has a wave guilloché pattern, while the numbers are placed on a ring with a smooth finish. This is the same motif that, in a larger size, is used for the hours. The three-dimensional, ‘filled’ Roman hour markers are applied to a smooth ring on the outside of which a slightly raised minute ring gives the final touch to the entire depth of the dial – which is silvered gold in the version with a rose gold case, and blue gold in the version with a white gold case. White and pink gold also return on the hands of the two references; the hour and minute hands have the classic Breguet ‘à pomme évidée’ design, also ‘filled’ like the Roman hour markers.

IL CALIBRE

To bring the Breguet Marine Chronograph 5527 tolife, the company relied on the 12-hour automatic chronograph movement, Calibre 582QA. Breguet employs its sophisticated silicon technology in the escapement, offering superior performance to that of similar movements by using all metal parts within the regulating system. In fact, in addition to the escapement anchor, the flat balance spring is also made of silicon.

For a 12-hour chronograph with time and date, the calibre 582QA is built with many components, as many as 346. The movement runs at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and has 48 hours of power reserve. The movement is more than adequate for such a luxury sports watch. Calibre 582QA is equipped with a flyback function; after the chronograph is triggered by pressing the pusher at 2 o’clock, a single press on the pusher at 4 o’clock performs three operations: it stops the chronograph seconds hand, resets the timing to zero and, as soon as the pusher is released, snaps the hand back into position to take a new measurement.

The elegant movement is finished to Breguet’s highest aesthetic standards, with circular-graining on the plates and Côtes de Genève on the bridges, with a satin finish exclusive to some of the levers. Calibre 582QA can be admired through the sapphire-glass back, where the 18-carat gold skeletonised oscillating weight stands out, its shape almost reminiscent of a half rudder on ancient sailing ships.

BREGUET’S ‘VALUE’

The references photographed here, depending on the model, have a blue or black rubber strap, but the Breguet Marine Chronograph 5527 is also available with a blue or brown alligator strap, or an elegant three-row bracelet in pink or white gold. The strap and bracelet attach to the lugs, which are characteristic in the Breguet Marine collection: short, strong, square, they stand out from the case and, with their short length, make the watch wearable even on smaller wrists.

In essence, the Breguet Marine Chronograph 5527 is a well-crafted timepiece that can also count on the fact that it has few real competitors in its segment, especially considering the structure and decoration of the dial and the manufacture of the case. The watch’s potential, apart from being a Breguet, is also given by its price; both the white gold reference with rubber strap and the pink gold reference, in fact, cost €43,700 – an attractive figure considering the watch’s technical content and, of course, the case’s precious materials.

We call it ‘value for money’, because it contains the word ‘value’, a concept that, when it comes to Breguet, guides every choice. Beyond time, price and fashion.

By Davide Passoni