Breguet presents a new version of the Reine de Naples, characterised by mint green tones and the presence of diamonds on the case and dial.
The Reine de Naples collection of Breguet draws inspiration from a historical fact. Indeed, in 1810 Carolina Murat, Napoleon Bonaparte's younger sister, woman of extraordinary intelligence and literary culture, commissioned Abraham-Louis Breguet to make a revolutionary watch, which went down in history as the first wristwatch.
Caroline Murat was a great fan of watches made by Abraham-Louis Breguet, so much so that she owned an extraordinary collection of over 30 examples. At the time, women used to wear their watches around their necks like a sautoir, but Caroline Murat commissioned Abraham-Louis Breguet with a highly unusual order: a watch to wear on her wrist. Thus, in 1810, Breguet began work on a unique watch: the world's first wristwatch. From its delivery (which took place in 1812) to its repairs in 1849 and 1855, the Breguet archives retrace the history and characteristics of this watch, now unfortunately lost. It was an extremely refined oblong timepiece with a guilloché silver dial and several complications: quarter repeater, moon phases and even a thermometer. A bracelet of braided hair with gold threads allowed the timepiece to be worn around the wrist.
The clock of the Queen of Naples
The collection is named after Caroline Murat, Queen Consort of Naples from 1808 to 1815.
The modern collection is thus named after the aforementioned Carolina Murat and features a very delicate colour palette. The pink, light blue, grey or white variants are now joined by a mint green version. The 36.5 x 28.45 mm case in 18-carat white gold surrounds a white mother-of-pearl dial, with off-centre hour circle at 6 o'clock set with diamonds positioned using the snow-setting technique. Hours and minutes are indicated by the iconic blued 'à pomme eivée' hands, while at 6 here is an additional poire diamond.
Note how the layering of two shades of green gives the Arabic numerals a two-dimensional effect, as does the presence, between 11 and 12, of the watch's serial number. The bezel and flange are set with no fewer than 117 diamonds, a precious stone also found on the crown at 4 o'clock. The white gold folding clasp of the alligator strap (in mint green, of course) is also set with 28 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Breguet Reine de Naples: a refined movement
Calibre 537/3 is, of course, manufactured.
This new Reine de Naples with Ref. 8918 is animated by the Breguet calibre 537/3 (25,200 vib/h), mechanical automatic, with 45-hour power reserve. This movement is equipped with a balance spring and escapement made of silicon, an antimagnetic material that is highly resistant to wear and corrosion. Finally, all calibre components are handmade in the Breguet tradition. The sapphire crystal back opens up the oscillating weight made of platinum to view, as well as the côtes de Genève motif of the bridges, polished screws and chamfers.
Price54,600 euro.
