Breguet has unveiled a unique version of its world time wristwatch for Only Watch, the highly anticipated charity auction. The Marine Hora Mundi 5555 “Only Watch 2023” is dressed in striking, rich colours that are unusual for Breguet, bringing a new face to the jumping display, dual time sports watch with a dial that’s a twist on the traditional world map motif. The dial features a gilded globe that’s a representation of the lighted areas of the world at night.

Initial thoughts

Since its debut last year, the Marine Hora Mundi has remained a hidden gem. The watch boasts a clever jumping dual-time complication and it is also a luxury-sports watch, the most popular segment of watchmaking in recent years.

While the production version of the Hora Mundi has a dial that feels relatively flat, the Only Watch edition is far more striking. The dial motif is a clever concept that has not been used before in watchmaking, where gilded accents are used to represent the world’s population. Moreover, the dial does away with the latitude and longitude lines found on the original, making the map and guilloche more prominent.

Given the aesthetic appeal of this dial design, we hope that a similar design will be introduced for the regular production model following Only Watch. But for now, the charity auction will be the only chance to land this Hora Mundi. It carries an estimate of CHF70,000 to CHF80,000, a modest price estimate. It anticipated that this will be readily exceeded during the auction, since the estimate is virtually identical to the retail price of the standard model.

A luxe version of the 5557

The Only Watch edition is a luxurious iteration of the standard Hora Mundi 5557. The model’s focal point is ease of switching between time zones: the movement can instantly switch between home and local time at the press of a button. Not only do the hour and minute hands jump to show the new time zone, but the date and day/night indicators also simultaneously switch in sync with the hands. The complication is a clever and user-friendly design that is amongst the most advanced world-time watches on the market.

While retaining several stylistic elements from the standard models, the Only Watch edition incorporates design modifications to its dial, particularly the world map. The dial base remains the same, featuring a guilloché wave pattern, but now in a captivating, bright blue hue that’s a few shades lighter than the dark blue of the standard model. Also identical are the applied Roman numerals and Breguet hands.

The modifications in the Only Watch edition, however, give it a decidedly different look. The lume on the hands and hour markers are now a vibrant red that contrasts against the predominantly blue dial.

And in a nod to the home city of Only Watch, the city for the time zone of GMT+1 has been changed from “Paris” to “Monaco”.

But the most notable feature of the dial is the world map that’s printed on a sapphire disc that sits over the guilloche dial. It’s rendered in dark blue with a sprinkle of rose gold dots that depict the lit-up regions of the world at night.

The watch has an 18k rose gold case with engraved inscriptions on the reverse indicating its one-off nature. However, it maintains the same dimensions as the standard model, measuring 43.9 mm in diameter and 13.8 mm high.

And the movement is also identical to the regular production watch – the cal. 77F1 is an in-house automatic movement with the inventive jumping time zone display. Like the standard Marine models, it has an oscillating weight shaped like a boat’s wheel.

The cal. 77F1

Like the rotor, the clasp takes a ship’s wheel form

Key facts and price

Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5555 “Only Watch 2023”
Ref. 5555BR/YS/5WV

Diameter: 43.9 mm
Height: 13.8 mm
Material: 18k rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Cal. 77F1
Functions: Hour, minutes, central seconds, dual pre-set time zones with an instant jump and synchronised date, day/night indicator and city display
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hours (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 55 hours

Strap: Rubber strap with folding clasp

Limited edition: Piece unique
Availability: To be sold at Only Watch on November 5, 2023
Estimte: CHF70,000 – CHF80,000

For more information, visit Onlywatch.com.