Comments:
A close up of the day/night indicator. Sun or moon (in gold too) on the lapis lazuli ...
At another angle ...
The time-zone indicator. Note the finely polished pointed secured with a blued screw ...
View from the side. Case height is 13.55mm. Water resistance rated to 30m.
Note the silicon escapement ...
It is remarkable for Breguet to construct a time-zone piece with such clean and legible dial-layout. However, achieving simplicity is actually complicated. The ingenious toggling of two time-zones with synchonise jump of both date and day-night indication is awesome. Have to see it to appreciate
Kong
If it is a ring, will be a challenge to display the country-names.
Probably both end of the window should be rounded like the date window above, much more balance.
Wait for you to see in metal ;-)
kong
Now after a long time i want to buy a Breguet. Iam sure the PT version must be costing an arm and a leg... anyhow its an absolute beauty! Well done Breguet!!
Breguet Classique Hora Mundi Ref 5717 (Europe-Africa Dial)
A piece of Breguet Classique Hora Mundi Ref 5717, dropped by here for a while. Glad to be able to view it.
The Hora Mundi Ref 5717 is one straight-forward, complicated time-zones watch. An initial quick glance, some may just passed it off as a time-only piece with a moonphase. Of course the city-window at 6H gave it away.
Most time-zones or GMT pieces, would have a cluttered dial layout with extra secondary-hour-hand and a variation of hour-bezel or rehaut-ring. Typical usage of these time-zones watches are by travelers or business people who wish to track time at the city they are visiting or calling (with the primary hour-hand) and their home time (with the secondary-hour-hand). However, the Hora Mundi Ref 5717 managed to simplify the aesthetic with a refreshing mechanical instant-jump time-zone.
A brief rundown of a prototype piece with the Europe-Africa dial ...
The Hora Mundi Ref 5717 is one straight-forward, complicated time-zones watch. An initial quick glance, some may just passed it off as a time-only piece with a moonphase. Of course the city-window at 6H gave it away.
Most time-zones or GMT pieces, would have a cluttered dial layout with extra secondary-hour-hand and a variation of hour-bezel or rehaut-ring. Typical usage of these time-zones watches are by travelers or business people who wish to track time at the city they are visiting or calling (with the primary hour-hand) and their home time (with the secondary-hour-hand). However, the Hora Mundi Ref 5717 managed to simplify the aesthetic with a refreshing mechanical instant-jump time-zone.
A brief rundown of a prototype piece with the Europe-Africa dial ...
The case is either 43mm rose
gold or platinum (as shown in this post). The dial has come in 3
variations : Europe-Africa (per this post), Asia-Oceanic or America.
The dial layout is as followed : date at 12H, day/night indicator at 3H ( not moonphase ) and time zone at 6H.
Talking about the dial, it consists of 4 parts of which 3 parts are made of gold.
Starting from the outer hour-chapter ring, followed by the large centre piece with the map which is slightly convex, polished, hand-engraved wave patterns and the ocean was achieved with multiple coats of lacquer. The other 2 parts made up of the day/night indicator, with the hand-engraved cloud portion in gold. The only part not of gold is the blue background done with lapis lazuli.
The dial layout is as followed : date at 12H, day/night indicator at 3H ( not moonphase
) and time zone at 6H.Talking about the dial, it consists of 4 parts of which 3 parts are made of gold.
Starting from the outer hour-chapter ring, followed by the large centre piece with the map which is slightly convex, polished, hand-engraved wave patterns and the ocean was achieved with multiple coats of lacquer. The other 2 parts made up of the day/night indicator, with the hand-engraved cloud portion in gold. The only part not of gold is the blue background done with lapis lazuli.
The Hora Mundi Ref 5717 has a mechanical memory allowing it to remember two set time-zones.
The first time-zone, just set the home time by using the crown at 3H to select the city at 6H.
After which, set the second time zone using crown at 8H.
The marvelous thing about the 5717, the date and day/night indicator will jump together when toggling between the two time zones by depressing the crown at 8H! Ingenious!
The first time-zone, just set the home time by using the crown at 3H to select the city at 6H.
After which, set the second time zone using crown at 8H.
The marvelous thing about the 5717, the date and day/night indicator will jump together when toggling between the two time zones by depressing the crown at 8H! Ingenious!
A closer look at the
detailings. Guilloche Hour-chapter with signed Breguet secret
signatures. Beautiful set of blued hands and similarly to both screws
securing the day/night indicator gold-plate.
A close up of the day/night indicator. Sun or moon (in gold too) on the lapis lazuli ...
At another angle ...
The time-zone indicator. Note the finely polished pointed secured with a blued screw ...
View from the side. Case height is 13.55mm. Water resistance rated to 30m.
Sapphire caseback. Within is the automatic movement based on Calibre 777 with a silicon escapement.
Understand 4 patents were filed for this movement, extracted from press release :
The first was for a timepiece comprising a mechanism with two time zones; the second covered the display of a time zone on demand via the main set of hands; the third was for a programmable and reprogrammable mechanical memory wheel for a timepiece; and the last for a mechanism for displaying a temporal dimension by means of a dragging hand.
Understand 4 patents were filed for this movement, extracted from press release :
The first was for a timepiece comprising a mechanism with two time zones; the second covered the display of a time zone on demand via the main set of hands; the third was for a programmable and reprogrammable mechanical memory wheel for a timepiece; and the last for a mechanism for displaying a temporal dimension by means of a dragging hand.
Note the silicon escapement ...
It is remarkable for Breguet to construct a time-zone piece with such clean and legible dial-layout. However, achieving simplicity is actually complicated. The ingenious toggling of two time-zones with synchonise jump of both date and day-night indication is awesome. Have to see it to appreciate
Kong
wt watches arena have new challenger
and strong one
this is indeed very beautiful piece
in the same rank with best of that breed
Thank you for info & pictures
Best
Damjan
just revisited this thread
the best photos I have seen of this watch on the web by a long shot.
The market is probably much smaller but most of the major brands have representation. There is a Breguet AD here but I haven't seen the Hora Mundi here.
Best
T
Very interesting watch, with an awesome dial, which is very important for a WT;
Still, there is one detail I don't like on this watch, the WT hour window...Which ruins the beauty of the dial, IMO.
The problem is that I don't see any aesthetical alternative to that.
A ring, rather than a window, maybe?
This reserve apart, the case is very nice, the dial is to die for, and the movement is ok.
I will have to see it in the flesh, to confirm or infirm my first feeling about the WT hour window...
Best,
Nicolas
This message has been edited by amanico on 2012-07-24 23:11:03You have good eyesight, Vlad :-)
If it is a ring, will be a challenge to display the country-names.
Probably both end of the window should be rounded like the date window above, much more balance.
Wait for you to see in metal ;-)
kong
Now after a long time
Now after a long time i want to buy a Breguet. Iam sure the PT version must be costing an arm and a leg... anyhow its an absolute beauty! Well done Breguet!!