Breguet is known as a beautiful high complication watch manufacturer, and the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 is no different. The Équation Marchante 5887 is one of the most complicated watches in Breguet’s Marine collection, with four various complications enclosed in a large rose gold casing. The complications include a perpetual calendar, running equation of time, 60-second tourbillon and peripheral rotor automatic winding system.
The dial design has a few subtle details that can be missed at first, which overall point to Breguet’s history and tradition. The first minor detail is the hour chapter ring. Its placed slightly off centre, to possibly accommodate the 60-second tourbillon and running equation of time mechanism, as well as make room for the watch number shown at 4 o’clock position. The other subtle details include the ocean wave motif at the centre of the dial, along with the hour chapter ring looking almost like a ship’s wheel. These details point to Breguet’s Marine history, which goes back to when the watch manufacturer supplied marine chronometers to the French Royal Navy in the early to mid 1800’s.
The day and month of the perpetual calendar are displayed between 10 and 11 o’clock and 1 and 2 o’clock respectively. A date ring is shown on the centre wave motif pattern, which is also indicated by retrograde hand. This hand comes with an anchor tip, which is once again a reference to the Marine collection. The hour and minute hands both have SuperLumiNova, along with the hour indexes. All of this is encased in a 43.9mm casing, which comes in either platinum or rose gold.
By far, the most standout feature of the Marine Équation Marchante 5887, shown at the 5 o’clock position, is the running equation of time combined with the 60-second tourbillon. The equation of time, simply put, is the difference of mean solar time and the apparent solar time. A good example of this is to think of the difference of time between a clock (mean time), and the time shown on a sundial (solar time). Mean time is average 24 hour day, while Solar time is the length of time taken for the sun to return to a given point in the sky. The equation of time is calculated because the eccentricity of earth’s orbit and the inclination of earth’s axis leads to a discrepancy of -14minutes to +16 minutes compared to a mean solar day (24hrs). A ruby pin is used to tell the difference, which runs along the inside of the Equation cam, indicating the time travelled. A running equation of time hand is also shown on the dial, with its tip representing the sun.
As the equation of time on the watch captures the length of the day as the earth orbits the sun, it’s also visually stunning to look at! Combine this with the linked 60-second tourbillon sitting underneath, and it is a mechanical marvel to wear on your wrist.
The movement used to run these complications is Breguet’s calibre 581DPE. The number of components comes in at a staggering 563 pieces, which is not surprising when you consider the number of complications present. The calibre 581DPE has a power reserve of roughly 80 hours and water resistance of 100m. This calibre 581DPE was developed from Breguet’s self-winding tourbillon movement Calibre 581DR, which is also very ultra-thin.
Using an ultra-thin movement as a base for the calibre of the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 is what makes the overall case thickness come to be 11.75mm. The Marine Équation Marchante 5887 features an open case back which is in itself a marvel to look at. The bridges showcase an engraving of what appears to be the French ship; the Royal Louis.
An elegant timepiece that has enough complications for you never to stop admiring it, the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 is not only one of Breguet’s most complex pieces in the Marine collection, but also a watch that points heavily to the brand’s origins.
