This high-jewellery timepiece from the House of Breguet offers an exquisite interpretation of the fascinating beauty of the seas.
Posidonia oceanica, which is also known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tape weed, is a sea-grass species found only in the Mediterranean Sea. This aquatic plant is very essential to the sea’s balance. Breguet portrays the plant’s arabesques on the Marine Haute Joaillerie Poseidonia watch by exploring the arts of mother-of-pearl marquetry and invisible setting.
The dial, set with 85 baguette-cut diamonds, appears to ripple across the intense iridescence of the Tahitian mother-of-pearl, which is deeply colored or more silvery depending on the light. The skillful setting continues on the bezel, caseband, lugs of the strap, and the clasp of the buckle.
The Marine Haute Joaillerie Poseidonia watch houses the caliber 591C, an extra-thin self-winding manufacture movement.
Worked in marquetry, the Tahitian mother-of-pearl demands expertise and delicacy. For the Marine Haute Joaillerie Poseidonia watch, Breguet combines the craft with the art of invisible setting. The white gold of the dial thus becomes invisible behind the glint of the diamonds. The artisan selects each mother-of-pearl dial carefully to harmonize its iridescent pattern, unique to each gem, with the inset curves of the Poseidonia. Together, their radiance evokes rays of sunshine playing on the sea’s surface. The lines of the pattern unfurl, with diamonds extending out to the lugs of the strap.
The watch has delicate, gold Breguet hands to indicate the hours and minutes. The tip of the second hand reveals the letter B of the maritime code of signals – a distinctive feature of the Marine collection. The traditional baguette-set bezel facilitates reading: the distinct triangular diamonds mark each of the 12 hours.
The sides of the white-gold case and the crown are delicately fluted, alternating between polished white gold and baguette-cut diamonds. A briolette-cut diamond tops the crown, claw set with six baguette-cut diamonds. The crown protection is set entirely invisibly with 14 baguette-cut diamonds.
The setting continues to the clasp of the strap buckle, echoing the inset bezel and the shape of the open-tipped Breguet hands. The B for Breguet stands out against the slightly colored metallic finish in the center of the buckle.
To join the diamond and Tahitian mother-of-pearl Marine Haute Joaillerie, Breguet proposes three other versions with white mother-of-pearl marquetry: sapphire-set blue, ruby-set red and emerald-set green.
From the dominant hue of each version – red, green, or blue –, Breguet composes the curves of the Poseidonia in different colors.
Each of the 85 gems composing the pattern is selected for its hue, is then cut and set invisibly. After months of work, the result reveals a singular radiance of remarkable colors, unique to each Marine Haute Joaillerie.
On the bezel, the setting is composed of the different colors of the dial, just like the setting of the strap buckle. The metallic finish in the center of the buckle also takes the dominant color, as does the iridescent nuance of the leather strap.
On the caseback, the transparent sapphire reveals the extra-thin, self-winding 591C caliber, whose bridges are engine-turned by hand with the Marine motif – inspired by the deck of a ship.
On the bevel of the white-gold rotor, the sparkling diamond border contrasts with the intensity of the Tahitian mother-of-pearl.
The words Horloger de la Marine (Watchmaker to the Navy) are engraved on the rim of the caseback in white gold. This refers to the title of Chronometer-maker to the French Royal Navy bestowed upon Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1815.
Technical details
Model: Breguet Marine Haute Joaillerie 9509 Poseidonia
Ref. 9509BB/TD/984 DD0D
Case
Round case in 18-karat white gold
Sapphire-crystal caseback
Bezel, caseband, lugs and crown set with 1 briolette-cut and 123 baguette-cut diamonds, totaling approx. 6.64 carats
Diameter: 35.80 mm
Thickness: 10.46 mm
Dial
Tahitian mother-of-pearl, set with 85 baguette-cut diamonds, approx. 2.56 carats.
Individually numbered and signed Breguet.
Open-tipped Breguet hands in gold
Central second hand, adorned with a B in a reinterpretation of maritime signals
Movement
Mechanical self-winding movement numbered and signed Breguet, cal. 591C. 11½ lignes
25 jewels
38-hour power reserve
18- karat gold rotor, adorned with Tahitian mother-of-pearl and set with 31 diamonds, approx. 0.09 carats
Frequency 4 hertz
Silicon in-line Swiss lever escapement
Flat balance spring in silicon
Breguet balance wheel
169 components
Strap
Iridescent leather, fitted with a triple-folding buckle in white gold, set with 30 baguette cut diamonds, approx. 0.7 carats.
Also Available
- Sapphire version: Combination of blue sapphires, amethysts, colored sapphires, tsavorites, and diamonds. Reference 9509BB/5S/984 SD0S
- Ruby version: Combination of rubies, colored sapphires, and diamonds. Reference 9509BB/5R/984 RD0R
- Emerald version: Composition of emeralds, tsavorites, colored sapphires, and diamonds. Reference 9509BB/5E/984 ED0E
