The Gentleman Magazine Issue 4 | August/September | Page 10

This read- off is generally provided on a sector or subdial. It is
then up to the user to mentally add or subtract the difference
displayed in relation to mean time in order to calculate
true solar time. The new Marine Équation Marchante from
Breguet supersedes this principle. It simultaneously indicates
civil time and true time by means of two separate minutes
hands. The running solar hand, adorned with a facetted
golden sun, provides a direct reading of solar time minutes
that is both quicker and more user-friendly. This apparently
simplicity conceals an arduous construction process that few
watchmakers are capable of achieving. signature codes giving it a modern and dynamic appearance:
central lugs combining polished and satin-brushed surfaces;
more open fluting, with visible flanks; a crown topped with
a polished “B” against a sandblasted background; as well as
a crown adorned with a chamfered and satin-brushed wave
motif. This “Grande Complication” comes with a 43.9mm-
diameter case in rose gold or platinum. The rose gold version
frames a silvered dial and an anthracite movement, while the
platinum interpretation has a blue dial and a rhodium-plated
movement. Elegance, legibility and aesthetic balance are the
keynote features of these two equally sumptuous models.
The solar minutes hand has to meet two imperative demands: it
must sweep in a conventional way around the dial, like the civil
minutes hand, while also daily moving away from the latter
by a distance that varies in accordance with the analemma
curve, in order to display the equation. Breguet was able to
accomplish this by equipping its running solar hand with a
differential gear powered by two rotation sources operating
entirely independently: the rotation of civil minutes, and that
controlled by the lever in contact with the equation of time cam,
which makes one full turn per year. Breguet has developed an
extremely slim equation cam borne by a transparent sapphire
disc also serving to correct the equation of time by month. BREGUET MARINE ÉQUATION MARCHANTE 5887
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE WATCH REF. 5887PT/Y2/9WV
Case in 950 platinum with delicately fluted caseband. Sapphire-
crystal caseback. 43.9mm diameter. Water- resistant to 10 bar
(100m).
Blue dial in gold, engine-turned. Individually numbered and
signed Breguet. Hours chapter with Roman numerals and
luminescent dots. Breguet facetted hands in 18k gold with
luminescent material. Running solar hand with facetted golden
sun. Days of the week in an aperture between 10 and 11 o’clock.
Months and leap- year cycle in an aperture between 1 and 2
o’clock. Retrograde dates indication on an arc running from
9 to 3 o’clock. Power reserve in an aperture between 7 and 9
o’clock.
Self-winding movement with running equation of time,
perpetual calendar, tourbillon and 80-hour power reserve,
Cal. 581DPE. Numbered and signed Breguet. Small seconds
and equation of time cam on the tourbillon axis. 163⁄4 lignes.
57 jewels. Silicon escapement wheel and inverted lateral lever
with silicon horns. Silicon balance spring. Balance frequency
4Hz. Adjusted in 6 positions.
Alligator leathe r strap with gold folding clasp.
Also available in 18k rose gold with dial in silvered
gold and anthracite movement:
Reference 5887BR/12/9WV
The complexity that the running equation of time brings
to this model is naturally complemented on this “Grande
Complication” by a perpetual calendar. Two apertures – one
between 10 and 11 o’clock and the other between 1 and 2
o’clock – respectively display the days of the week as well as
the months and the leap-year cycle. The date appears inside
the chapter ring by means of a retrograde hand tipped with an
anchor motif and sweeping across an arc running from 9 to 3
o’clock. The dial layout of the information has been carefully
designed to ensure simple and intuitive linear reading, along
with impeccable visual appeal.
Based on the self-winding 581DR calibre, the new Marine
Équation Marchante by Breguet also flaunts a third
complication that is noteworthy in its own right: a 60-second
tourbillon with a titanium carriage housing a Breguet balance
with a silicon balance spring. This innovative characteristic
notably enables the balance wheel to achieve a 4Hz frequency,
while maintaining a particularly comfortable power reserve
for a self-winding model. This 80-hour autonomy is displayed
through an aperture between 7 and 9 o’clock.
The ingenuity of this spectacular model is accentuated by
the precious expertise of the artisans exercising their skills
within 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 engraved on the tourbillon bar, whose execution
naturally draws the gaze. 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. Thanks to the carefully chosen
positioning of the oscillating weight on the rim of the calibre,
the self-winding movement deploys the full splendour of its
decoration.
A truly magnificent timepiece, the new Marine Équation
Marchante by Breguet sets the tone. It features new aesthetic
10 | The Gentleman Magazine “Powered by
, Security in Motion”