Haute Time: The New Breguet Classique 5717 “Hora Mundi”

The World Time watch is one of the most useful complications for travelers; but though it’s been around since the 1930s, watchmakers have constantly been working ever since to make it more convenient and easy to use. There have been a bevy of new world time watches in recent months, and one of the most distinguished is from one of the oldest fine watchmaking houses: Breguet, whose founder invented (among other things) the tourbillon, in 1801.

The founder’s long gone, but his inventiveness lives on. The Hora Mundi World Time Watch is a thing of both brains and beauty –the gorgeous lacquered dial comes in three possible variations,  showing either the Americas, Europe and Africa, or Asia and Oceania; and it incorporates a new world time complication that lets the user go instantly from home time to any pre-set local time at the push of a button.  Using the combination crown and push piece at 8:00, the owner sets the second time zone, and once the second time zone has been set, a simple push of the crown automatically changes the time display to the second time zone –coordinating the date, city indicator, and day/night indicator at the same time as well.

The easy one-button system for changing time zones is as elegant as it is ingenious, and ought to take the sting out of jet lag for even the most world-weary globetrotter.

Available from Breguet with three dial variations, and in 18k red gold or platinum.

Jack Forster is the Editor in Chief of Revolution Magazine, a quarterly publication celebrating the world of fine watchmaking, and he also manages Revolution Online www.revo-online.com, the foremost information and discussion site on the internet for watch enthusiasts.