Breguet Marine Chronographe 5527

As the proud owner of a Breguet Type XX, I have no problem equating the brand with chronographs, despite that particular model appearing a century-and-a-quarter after Abraham-Louis met his maker. Then one is reminded that, along with the tourbillon and the pare-chute shock-protection device, he devised the split-seconds chronograph, which is soon to celebrate its first two centuries. (Let’s assume that Breguet has something up its sleeve for Baselworld 2020…)

That said, the Marine Chronographe 5527 is not a split-seconds chronograph but a no-less-desirable three sub-dial model housed in the new, dressy Marine case, and measuring a substantial 42.3mm in diameter. The central chronograph hand, like the sweep hand of the 5517, has the stylised semaphore “B” at its end while the main dial resembles its time-and-date sibling’s face with thick Roman numerals, coated with a luminescent material, the minutes marked with dots and with tiny triangles for the five-minute points. The 5527, too, shares the 5517’s modernised take on the classic hours-and-minutes Breguet hands, the circles at the ends bisected by the hands and filled with lume.

Name-inventors will have fun with the mix of sizes of the sub-dials. While most chronographs size all of the counters identically, Breguet is one of those that makes the 30-minute counter larger, thus earning the nickname of “Big Eye” for the Type XX and its kin. Here, there are not one but two “Big Eyes” because the 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock is also outsized, with the real-time seconds counter at 9 o’clock being undersized. Date indication is through an aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock.

As with the 5517, several versions will be available. The white-gold edition is fitted with a blue dial, bearing the wave-motif engine-turned pattern. The rose-gold alternative wears a silvered gold dial, also with the wave pattern. Once again juggling the ancient with the modern, Breguet also produces the Marine Chronographe 5527 in a titanium case with a sunburst slate-grey dial. The 5527 can be supplied with a leather or rubber strap, so you get to choose: dressy or sporty? Or is it both?