Breguet Marine

The Marine collection has been part of the Breguet catalog since the early 1990s. As its name suggests, this series takes its design inspiration from historical marine chronometers. Even so, Breguet's designers have managed to put a sporty and modern twist on the brand's classic style. This is especially true of more recent models, which are available in titanium in addition to more traditional materials like gold and stainless steel. What's more, the manufacturer equips these timepieces with state-of-the-art calibers featuring antimagnetic silicon components.

Defining features across the collection include crown guards, enhanced water resistance to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft), and dials with Roman numerals. As of the early 2000s, luminous material also fills the rings near the tip of the Breguet hands.

Beyond simple three-hand models, the Marine collection also contains watches with interesting complications, such as chronographs, alarm functions, or perpetual calendars with an equation of time feature. What's more, the collection is home to stylish women's watches, some of which are studded with diamonds and other precious gems.

Prices for a Breguet Marine begin around 5,200 USD for a three-hand women's model from the 1990s. Similar men's watches from the same period demand roughly 2,300 USD more. More recent three-hand timepieces sell for between 13,500 and 16,500 USD.

If you'd prefer a Marine with a chronograph or alarm function, be prepared to spend anywhere from 23,000 to 30,000 USD. Top models in platinum with a tourbillon, perpetual calendar, and equation of time change hands for about 196,000 USD.

The Marine collection debuted in the early 1990s as dress watches with a touch of maritime charm. Watches from this period bear a strong resemblance to the timepieces in the Classique collection: They have round cases with straight soldered lugs, skeletonized Breguet hands, and silver or gold guilloché dials. However, the presence of Roman numerals and an onion-shaped crown with a crown guard give these models their own unique character. Furthermore, with 50 meters (5 bar, 164 ft) of water resistance, these early Marine watches are better protected against moisture than their even dressier counterparts.

Breguet produced three-hand editions in men's and women's sizes. The women's models belong to the 8400 series, while men's watches are part of the 3400 series. Both variants use the automatic caliber 549, a modified version of the popular Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 889/2. This movement comes with a date display at 6 o'clock and a 38-hour power reserve. You can purchase a well-maintained 26-mm Marine 8400 for between 5,200 and 5,800 USD on Chrono24. The 35.5-mm men's 3400 edition costs about 7,500 USD.

Early Marine Watches With a Chronograph or World Timer

You can find the collection's chronographs under the reference number 3460. These watches measure 36 mm in diameter and come in platinum, rose gold, or yellow gold. Their power comes from the caliber 576. This movement is based on the Frédéric Piguet 1185 and provides the watch with a minute counter at 3 and an hour counter at 9 o'clock. There's also a small seconds at 6 o'clock. Prices for a well-maintained Marine Chronograph 3460 sit around 11,500 USD.

The Marine Hora Mundi ref. 3700 is yet another interesting model. Its 38-mm case is available in rose, white, or yellow gold and houses a version of the Lemania 8810 with an added world time display. Breguet refers to this movement as "caliber 563." The conventional central time display has three hands for indicating the local time. A 24-hour ring rotates around the main display and is itself encircled by a ring with 24 city names. Thus, you can keep an eye on 24 time zones at once. Be sure to have between 12,500 and 14,000 USD on hand for this world timer.

Breguet treated the Marine collection to a redesign in the early 2000s, resulting in more modern-looking timepieces with in-house calibers. What's more, the manufacturer added luminous material to the ringed tips of the Breguet hands and increased the case's water resistance to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). The center of the dial still featured guilloché engraving but was now available in different colors, including silver, gray, and blue.

Popular models include the three-hand ref. 5817 and the ref. 5827 chronograph. The 5817 is 39 mm in diameter and features a large date display at 6 o'clock. Its power comes from the caliber 517GG with a 65-hour power reserve. The stainless steel edition demands roughly 15,000 USD. Versions in rose or yellow gold cost an additional 2,300 USD.

The 42-mm Marine Chronograph 5827 uses the caliber 583Q/1 with a {lex-flyback,flyback function} and a central second and minute counter. A subdial at 6 o'clock shows the chronograph seconds and also includes the date display. A small seconds at 9 o'clock completes the dial. You can purchase this watch in rose, white, or yellow gold for between 24,000 and 28,000 USD.

Marine Royale Alarme: A World-Class Diving Watch

The Marine Royale Alarme 5847 is one of the collection's most remarkable timepieces. It begins with the watch's impressive water resistance to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft). Another unique feature is its size: The Royale Alarme is 45 mm in diameter and 17.45 mm thick, making it the collection's most massive model by far. The width of its diving bezel is also notable. Like most diving watches, it only rotates counterclockwise and has a large glow-in-the-dark triangle at its 0 position. Luminous material also fills the minute hands and the dial's minute markers.

However, what really makes this timepiece stand out from other diving watches is its namesake alarm function. You can turn it on and off using the push-piece at 8 o'clock. A crown at 4 o'clock enables you to set the alarm's time, which is displayed via a fourth hand. A window at 12 o'clock lets you know if the alarm function is activated or not. Next to that sits the function's power reserve indicator. The watch's main winding crown sits at 2 o'clock. Finally, the Royale Alarme also boasts a date display at 6.

Prices for a rose gold Marine Royale Alarme begin around 35,000 USD on Chrono24. The same watch in rose gold demands about 39,500 USD.

In recent years, Breguet has transformed the Marine into a genuine sports watch collection. While the round cases, Breguet hands, and Roman numerals remain, these newer watches feel more modern than their predecessors. This is largely due to the redesigned lugs, which are integrated into the case along with the band's end links. Thus, there is a smooth transition between the case and band, regardless of whether it's leather, rubber, or metal. The manufacturer added gold and titanium as band options in 2020.

The dials have also seen some changes. Here, you can choose from models with sunburst dial or others with a central wave pattern, though the latter is reserved for the collection's rose and white gold timepieces. In terms of dial color, Breguet offers silver, blue, and slate gray. The manufacturer exclusively pairs the blue and slate gray sunburst dials with titanium cases. No matter which version you choose, it will feature applied Roman numerals filled with luminous material.

Modern three-hand editions bear the reference number 5517. Their cases are 44 mm in diameter and contain the caliber 777A with a date display at 3 o'clock. Gold watches change hands for around 24,500 USD. Titanium models, including the 2021 edition with a blue dial, are much more affordable and cost roughly 15,000 USD.

Breguet has assigned the new generation of Marine Chronographs the reference number 5527. The caliber 582QA sits within the 42.5-mm case and provides each watch with a minute counter at 3, an hour counter at 6, and a small seconds at 9 o'clock. The date display sits at 4:30. You can purchase this model for approximately 17,500 in titanium and 28,000 USD in gold.

Marine Alarme Musicale and Tourbillon Équation Marchante

The collection's top models are the Marine Alarme Musicale and Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante. The Alarme Musicale (ref. 5547) boasts alarm and GMT functions thanks to the in-house caliber 519F/1. A second crown at 4 o'clock sets the alarm, with the alarm's time appearing in a subdial at 9 o'clock. A push-piece at 8 o'clock enables the wearer to turn the alarm on and off. When on, a small bell symbol appears in a window below 12 o'clock. A subdial at 3 o'clock serves as a display for the second time zone. You can set both it and the main time display using the crown at 2 o'clock. A date window at 6 o'clock completes the watch.

If you're interested in a titanium Marine Musicale on a leather or rubber strap, be prepared to spend about 23,000 USD. The version on a titanium bracelet sells for around 25,500 USD. Breguet also produces the Alarme Musicale in rose and white gold. These editions cost roughly 33,500 USD paired with a leather or rubber strap and about 48,500 USD mounted on a gold bracelet.

At 49.3 mm in diameter, the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887 is the current collection's largest watch. Its time display is slightly off-center to make room for the tourbillon at 5 o'clock. Other notable features include an additional sun-tipped hand that indicates the solar time, and the perpetual calendar with a retrograde pointer date on the dial's top half, a day display at 10:30, and a month display at 2:30.

The platinum Tourbillon Équation Marchante features a blue dial and matching blue leather strap. You can purchase this watch on Chrono24 for about 203,000 USD. The rose gold edition is available with a silver or graphite dial and demands around 171,000 USD.

Breguet also offers women's Marine models in the new sporty design. Two examples include the Marine Lady 9517 and 9518. These timepieces are largely identical: Both are 33.8 mm in diameter and get their power from the in-house caliber 591A. They also share a date at 3 o'clock and the option of a natural white mother-of-pearl or blue hand-lacquered dial. As for the differences: While the ref. 9517 has a smooth bezel, the 9518's bezel glitters with 60 diamonds – furthermore, Breguet manufactures the 9518 in rose and white gold in addition to stainless steel.

The Marine Lady 9517 costs between 13,500 and 15,500 USD depending on the dial color. The stainless steel ref. 9518 is available on Chrono24 for about 16,000 USD. Prices for the 9518 in rose or white gold are significantly higher at around 29,000 USD.