The Watch: A 1999 Breguet Marine 3400SA. The marine line was introduced in 1990, and it’s an interesting branch in Breguet’s family tree. Breguet was founded in 1775 by Abraham Lewis Breguet and has had an inescapable impact on watchmaking. They invented the Breguet overcoil in 1795, the tourbillon in 1801, and the very first wristwatch itself in 1810. Their inventions and early design choices, Breguet hands and Breguet numerals, are still in use today.
In 1815, A.L. Breguet was named official watchmaker to the French Navy and honed his skills developing advanced marine chronometers that maintained Naval-quality accuracy even on choppy seas. It’s this nautical history that Jorg Hysek, designer of the line (also designer of the legendary 222 at Vacheron) tapped into to create the Marine in 1990. Breguet’s adherence to established design codes gives a dressed-up, patrician, formal air to their creations, and Hysek worked to incorporate and modernize those elements. Here, Hysek breaks with tradition and designed a bracelet in the image of an anchor chain, creating something that’s both muscular and opulent. Combined with the cues on the case, the welded-on lugs, domed bezel, coined-midsection, and onion crown, it conjures both old-world mechanical engineering and 1980’s stock broker sheen. The dial, a silvered, guilloched gold plate with roman numerals and small gold dot indices, speaks for itself.
35.5mm in diameter, but wears a bit larger with a substantial heft. It’s powered by a Jaeger-LeCoultre 889 (marked as a Breguet cal 549), the ultra-thin automatic movement of reference in its era.
Condition: This example has some wear from its previous owner, is unpolished and in great working condition.
Includes: It comes with its full set, including box and papers dated 1999.
