Marine Magnifique
Creativity, innovation, and impeccable aesthetics are once again the keynotes of newest flagship model, the Marine Équation Marchante 5887
reguet, led by its CEO Marc Hayek, is now reinterpreting the unique heritage of its founder Abraham Louis, who conceptualised and developed many spectacular timepieces throughout his career. The result is a horological marvel that extends an open invitation to travel and discovery where sophisticated horological complications rub shoulders with stunning finishing. The Marine Équation Marchante 5887, the flagship model of 2017, marks the start of a new era for the contemporary Marine Collection.
This iconic model has revolutionised one of the rarest and most fascinating horological complications: the equation of time. It displays the difference between mean solar time (the civil or standard hours and minutes) and true solar time (the actual solar hours and minutes). The sun, which has been the first basis of time for man, is also inaccurate, its visible motion being irregular. With the improvement of timekeeping precision, watches and clocks became the basis of time, displaying each day with the same duration of exactly 24 hours. The mean solar time may show a discrepancy with true solar time ranging from minus 16 minutes to plus 14 minutes, except for just fwour days a year when the two times are exactly the same.
Watchmakers have always been fascinated by this, with some “programming” the two times through a special cam, the read-off generally provided on a sector or subdial. It was then up to the user to mentally add or subtract the difference displayed in relation to mean time to calculate true solar time.
Today, the new Marine Équation Marchante from Breguet supersedes this principle. It simultaneously indicates mean solar time and true solar time by two separate minute hands. The running solar hand, adorned with a faceted golden sun, provides a direct reading of solar time in minutes that is both quicker and more user-friendly. Breguet has developed an extremely slim equation cam borne by a transparent sapphire disc also serving to correct the equation of time by month.
Two other complications make the Marine Equation Marchante a true product of masterful ingenuity: the perpetual calendar, that complements the complexity that its running equation of time brings; and, a 60-second tourbillon with a titanium carriage housing a silicon balance spring that enables the balance wheel to achieve a 4HZ frequency while maintaining a particularly comfortable power reserve for a self-winding model.
The ingenuity of this spectacular model is accentuated by the precious expertise of the artisans of the House of Breguet. The front dial features two types of engine-turning, including a “wave” pattern specifically developed for this new creation. The inscription “Marine Royale” is attractively engraved on the tourbillon bar. Visible through a sapphire caseback, the bridges have been delicately chased to depict in meticulous detail the Royal Louis, a first rank vessel in the French Royal Navy. The barrel is adorned with a windrose motif, in reference to astronomical navigation.
Elegance, legibility, and aesthetic balance are the keynote features of the cutting-edge Marine Equation Marchante by Breguet.