Breguet Navigates Tradition and Ambition with the Marine Tourbillon 5577

Adding a tourbillon to the luxury-sports watch.

In the realm of haute horlogerie, few names hold the same level of esteem and reverence as Breguet. The newly unveiled Breguet Marine Tourbillon 5577 is no doubt intended as a tribute to the brand’s visionary founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, by drawing inspiration from his deep ties to maritime navigation, astronomy, and the spirit of innovation.

Initial thoughts

By introducing a tourbillon for the first time in the Marine collection, Breguet aims to leverage the prestige of the complication to enhance its sport watch offering.

Like many other Breguet complications, the Marine tourbillon possesses a high level of quality, particularly in the sophisticated and impressively constructed movement that’s just 3 mm high, making its one of the thinnest tourbillon calibres on the market. The thinness gives the watch elegant proportions, despite the relatively wide case that’s 42.5 mm, as it stands well under 10 mm high.

Besides its height, the cal. 581 is notable for having a decoration unique to this watch. The Geneva stripes are modified to feature engraved channels separating the stripes, creating the impression of a sailboat’s decking.

However, the devoted Breguet purist might see the addition of a tourbillon to the Marine as a departure from tradition, likely driven by the ambition to compete with comparable sports watches like the Vacheron Constantin Overseas and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

Abraham-Louis Breguet never incorporated a tourbillon into a marine chronometer, since he invented the tourbillon regulator for standing clocks and pocket watches. The horizontal balance wheel in a marine chronometer didn’t require averaging out of gravitational errors since arguably there were none.

In my view, the tourbillon finds a more harmonious fit in the Classique, where its design appears more integrated and purposeful, as demonstrated by the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367.

Calibre 581 on show

The Marine Tourbillon 5577 is available in two distinct options: one featuring a rose gold case accompanied by a brown sunburst dial and the other available in platinum with a maritime-inspired blue sunburst dial.

For a sports watch, the balance between diameter and thickness is quite remarkable. The Marine tourbillon is just 9.35 mm high, owing to the exceptional 3 mm-high cal. 581.

Certainly, the 42.5 mm diameter is today considered substantial, particularly since more compact cases are now back in fashion.

The self-winding cal. 581 is an exceptionally slender movement and comprises 330 components. Despite featuring a tourbillon and relatively large balance oscillating at 4 Hz, it boasts an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

Like most other Breguet movements, the cal. 581 also incorporates modern tech: the escape wheel and balance spring are crafted from silicon, a material favoured for its immunity to magnetic fields and perfect form fresh off the press.

Evocative of the teak deck on a sailboat, the striped decoration on the movement’s bridges and plate adds to the maritime-inspired aesthetic of the ensemble. Further enhancing the maritime theme, the barrel is adorned with an apt compass and rope motif.

The aesthetics of the movement can be fully admired as a result of the peripheral rotor, a narrow ring made of platinum that is hand engraved.

Key facts and price

Breguet Marine Tourbillon 5577
Ref. 5577BR/G2/5WV (rose gold)
Ref. 5577PT/Y2/5WV (platinum)

Diameter: 42.5 mm
Height: 9.35 mm
Material: rose gold and platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Cal. 581
Functions: Hours, minutes, 60 seconds Tourbillon
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 80 hours