Breguet Marine 5517 — An Extended Stay In My Collection

What comes to your mind when you hear the name Breguet? Some might think of the inventor of the Breguet overcoil, the tourbillon, or retrograde time display. Others visualize a bust of Abraham-Louis Breguet, the man behind the legend, the grandfather of watchmaking. There might be a few out there who associate the name with a jewel of the Swatch Group crown. But has anyone ever thought of the Breguet Marine 5517? You might, after this article.

Breguet is synonymous with fine watchmaking of the highest order. A brand that produces elegant, Haute Horlogerie pieces while paying attention to the typical Breguet elements. The round case with the short, straight lugs. The unmistakable Breguet-style hands with the little round “moon” tips. Or the divided dial layout with different, hand-decorated patterns on it.

Breguet

Breguet is not what it used to be. Contrary to what you think, though, I mean it in a good way. This brand has been around since the beginning of time(keeping). Hell, time as we know it started with Abraham-Louis Breguet. Ok, I might be exaggerating a bit, but the importance this Swiss-born watchmaker’s role in modern watchmaking is inescapable.

It’s helpful to be open to exploring new territories, with a willingness to offer fresh interpretations of age-old topics.

Countless inventions and improvements, as well as a lasting legacy, are what Monsieur Breguet left behind. To me, the name Breguet is equivalent to class, hand-decorated parts, complications, and precious metals. But if you want to ride the waves of modern times, you need to adapt. It’s not enough to stay afloat. It’s helpful to be open to exploring new territories, with a willingness to offer fresh interpretations of age-old topics. But it would help if you did this while paying attention to your DNA, which you should never lose. Enter the Breguet Marine 5517.

Marine 5517

The Marine line is not a new model family. I’m not talking about something revolutionary that Breguet did here. What I’m referring to is what hit me in connection with the Marine 5517. Namely, that the brand offers such a large variety of watches that all look so different, yet, they are all 100% Breguet, inside and outside.

…a ton of Breguet character.

First impressions of the Marine 5517? It is an impressive looking watch, a bit heavy, perhaps, but that’s the white gold for you. The Breguet Marine 5517 is a sporty model from the brand, especially on the rubber strap, but with a ton of Breguet character. It’s not too pushy, not too out there, but it commands respect. Especially on the bracelet, which is a serious work of art. More about this later. Let’s start by taking a closer look at that fantastic case.

Titanium or gold

The Breguet Marine 5517 comes in 3 case materials — rose gold, titanium, or white gold. The watch I have here is made from the latter. I have a thing for white gold. It’s a precious metal, which is always a plus. However, not as apparent as yellow or rose gold. If you know the model, you know the material, but if not, it looks “simple”.

The size is only 40mm, not too big, not too small — a Goldilocks watch for all. Especially when you consider that the case is only 11.5mm thick. While the silhouette is similar to most Breguet timepieces, the lugs are not free-standing, which adds to the sportiness of the 5517. The bezel is thin and does not take away the focus from the dial. Equally, the crown guards are not too prominent.

100-meters of water-resistance is delivered by a sapphire sandwich case. The back is pretty simple. You have the usual information like ref number, serial number, case material, and model designation engraved around the display window. The only noticeable feature of the back would be the screws. The Marine 5517 has a case back that is fixed to the case with seven visible screws. Other than the holes for the screws, the whole case back is brushed. At the same time, the watch front has brushed and polished surfaces. As you would expect from a Breguet watch, the case band is fluted. These are the fine grooves that decorate the side of the watch case. Another typical Breguet feature, a subtle detail that immediately tells the viewer from which brand the watch he/she is looking at hails.

Breguet galore

Well, the real treat comes on the face of the Marine 5517. First of all, it is my favorite color — blue. But if this was not enough (obviously), we have many of the classic Breguet trademarks including the hand-guillochéd dial with a wave-like pattern. For anyone that wondered how the decoration was applied, the small engraving above 6 o’clock makes it clear.

…a modern interpretation…

Staying with markings, below the brand name, we can find the manufacturing number, or serial number if you will. Breguet timepieces have had this unique identification number since the times of Abraham-Louis Breguet. The hands are also the typical Breguet hands with the moon tip, but this time we have a modern interpretation as is the case for the Roman indexes. Both features are lumed with a particularly reactive compound, ensuring excellent performance when the lights dim. And despite all of these features, the dial remains easily readable and clean.

777A

Lastly, one of the most important parts of the watch, if not the most important, is the movement. The Breguet caliber 777A is a mechanical, self-winding movement with 55 hours of power reserve. 179 parts make up the 777A, which has 26 jewels and a frequency of 4Hz. The only “complication” is the date feature that you can find at the 3 o’clock position on the dial.

What more do you need?

Further features of the movement are the inverted in-line lever escapement with silicon horns and the flat, silicon Breguet-spring. It is not the most advanced caliber from the Swiss powerhouse, nor is it essential with the Marine 5517. The movement gets the job done, works well, and keeps time accurately. What more do you need?

Bracelet et all

Although the Breguet Marine 5517 is available on the leather or rubber strap, nothing beats the solid gold bracelet. As with the case, this is also white gold, and perfectly congruous with the case design. The majority of the bracelet is brushed but little decorative polished edges bring a bit of flair to proceedings.

The watch balances perfectly between dressy and sporty without leaning too much in either direction.

Needless to say, it transforms the Marine 5517’s look completely. However, sadly it also alters the price quite a bit. On the bracelet, the watch is €46,130. Meanwhile, if you opt for the rubber or leather, you “only” have to shell out €26,870. That’s quite the difference if you ask me, but this is literally the price you pay for a cool bracelet. Still, if money were no object, would I rock the Breguet Marine 5517 longer than a week? Without a doubt. The watch balances perfectly between dressy and sporty without leaning too much in either direction. It is, without a doubt, wish list material. If you’d like to visit the Breguet website, please click here.