Breguet pays tribute to Valentine’s Day by adorning the iconic Reine de Naples with poetic references in its new timepiece issued in a limited edition of 28 pieces that celebrates love with subtle red accents delicately scattered across its white mother-of-pearl dial
The flange is set with 66 hand-set rubies, complemented by a bezel featuring a myriad of diamonds and a crown adorned with a cabochon-cut ruby. Discreet red hearts mark the hours on an offset chapter ring. The hours and minutes hands follow their passionate path, perfectly complementing the alligator leather strap. Additionally, the lug and folding clasp are adorned with hand-set diamonds.
At the heart of its 33mm egg-shaped case, 180 parts form the 586/1 self-winding movement with its 38-hour power reserve and 3Hz frequency. This calibre is equipped with a balance spring made of silicon – a material endowed with numerous properties. As well as being resistant to corrosion and wear, silicon is unaffected by magnetic field influences and improves the timepiece’s precision.
Whether visible or invisible, the components are all meticulously hand-finished in the Breguet tradition. The sapphire-crystal back of the white gold case reveals its platinum oscillating weight, showcasing the Côtes de Genève decoration and bevelling on the mechanism.
The Reine de Naples collection is inspired by a watch created for a queen. During her reign in Naples, Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger sister Caroline Murat was a passionate supporter of the arts, acquiring over 30 Breguet watches and clocks. In an era when women wore watches as necklaces, Caroline Murat placed a bold and avant-garde order with Abraham-Louis Breguet: she desired a timepiece that she could wear on her wrist. Thus, in 1810 Abraham-Louis Breguet began to work on this one-of-a-kind timepiece: the world’s first wristwatch.
Conceived by a woman and created by a man, this historic timepiece that was delivered in 1812 – with repairs undertaken in 1849 and 1855 – is documented in the Breguet archives, retracing the history and characteristics of this watch, which has since disappeared. This oblong creation with a silver guilloché dial was extremely dainty and included several complications including a minute repeater, a moon phase, and a thermometer. Lastly a bracelet made of hair intertwined with gold threads allowed the timepiece to be worn on the wrist.
