Breguet Marine Hora Mundi X Only watch

Breguet, the world-renowned Swiss watchmaker, just announced its participation in this year's Only Watch auction, a charity event organized by the Only-Watch Foundation. The auction, featuring unique and on-off timepieces from some of the world's finest luxury watchmakers, is held every two years and will take place in November at the Palexpo in Geneva.

Breguet's offering for this auction will be the Marine Hora Mundi X Only Watch, a one-off based on the 2022 Breguet Marine Hora Mundi, primarily designed for globetrotters. So what's different this time?

Case

Like the watch it's based upon, the X Only Watch also boats a 43.9mm diameter case, in 18-carat rose gold with a thickness of 13.8mm. Attached to the case is a sleek midnight blue rubber strap with a triple-blade folding clasp in 18-carat gold. This combination of rose gold and midnight blue creates a striking and sophisticated aesthetic, while the choice of materials ensures both elegance and durability.

Dial

The X Only Watch's dial design embodies the brand's unique interpretation of the terrestrial planisphere, demonstrated by a clever use of materials on various superimposed plates. The watch's first gold base carries the hand-guilloche waves. Engraved wave-like decorations amid the dominant sunburst-blue dial background add depth and richness to the design.

An additional sapphire plate showcases luminescent gold hour markers along with engraved and varnished navy blue continents. Exclusive to the X Only Watch, bright rose gold dots stand out on Earth. "A reminder that the planet never sleeps," according to the Swiss watchmaker.

An anchor at 6 o'clock indicates the reference city, which in this case is the principality of Monaco, a special homage to the Only Watch Foundation that runs the charity auction. At 4 o'clock, the hand-hammered Sun in luminous rose gold and the mysterious grey Moon add a touch of verismo to the dial. Lastly, an aperture at 12 o'clock indicates the date with a retrograde hand added to the watch's date system.

Movement

The X Only Watch also maintains the original watch's Caliber 77F1 — an advanced caliber that incorporates many of Breguet's in-house and patented additional modules. These include a dual-time mechanism, a second time zone display, a programmable mechanical wheel, and a pointer-type day/night display.

A sapphire case back provides an uninterrupted view of the caliber's intricate movements. The black-treated gold oscillating weight resembles a rudder, adding further touches of elegance to an already impressive setup. However, the watch's show-stopping feature is its ability to change time zones at the click of a button, allowing the wearer to switch between different time zones by simply handling the pusher and crown.

The wearer only has to set the time and date for the first city and then set the second city. The watch's advanced mechanics utilizing cams, hammers, and an integrated differential then calculates and displays the time and date for the second city, a handy feature that should help globetrotters set the time without disrupting their watch's operation.

With the Marine Hora Mudi X Only Watch, Breguet continues its commitment to charitable causes, combining exceptional craftsmanship with philanthropy.