Breguet introduced Classique 5717 Hora Mundi with the world’s first mechanical instant-jump time-zone display system with synchronized date, day/night and city indications. This complication allows the wearer to preselect, from among the 24 time zone cities listed, two cities for which to display the local time. The wearer can then change from one to the other by simply pressing on the combined crown/pushpiece at 8 o’clock, which triggers an instant jump.

Three versions of the dial are available, each representing one part of the world: the Americas, the European and African continents, or Asia and Oceania – six references in all.

The Hora Mundi is powered by the 5717 BR self-winding mechanical movement, which is based on Calibre 777 with a silicon escapement. Four patents were filed for this movement. 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.

The case is available in either 950 platinum or 18k gold and is 44 mm in diameter by 13.55 mm thick. Case water-resistance is 30 meters. The beautiful in-house movement is visible through a sapphire caseback.

The dial is has a beautiful combination of finishes and materials that make this timepiece standout. The dial is solid gold and features Breguet hands. The chapter ring has painted Roman numerals and a silvered and circular satin–brushed finish, a border than is hand engraved on a rose engine, and red-gold hour markers (or platinum depending on case). In the center of the dial is a view of a globe that is stamped and hand engraved on a rose engine to create a “wave” motif on the oceans. The oceans are then given multiple coats of lacquer and the continents polished. On the day/night indicator, the sky is made of lapis lazuli containing numerous pyrite inclusions that look like tiny specks of gold and represent the stars. The sun and moon are made of solid gold: yellow gold for the sun, rhodium-plated yellow gold for the moon. The cover for this disc, representing a cloud and bearing the Breguet name and the watch’s serial number, is also made of silvered 18-carat gold and engraved entirely by hand.

Breguet is a leader in the advancement of chronometry. Instead of being complacent, Breguet, and the best watchmaking brands continue to build on the many years of watchmaking know-how that already exist. Whether it is silicon escapements, ultra high frequency movements or sophisticated instant jump time zone functions – Breguet is clearly a watchmaking leader and innovator.

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