Breguet Announces the Reine de Naples 8925 Valentine’s Day Edition

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Breguet enhances its renowned Reine de Naples collection with romantic elements, introducing a special edition timepiece limited to just 28 pieces.

The latest creation by Breguet is a tribute to romance, elegantly highlighted with soft red touches on a white mother-of-pearl face. The watch’s periphery is adorned with 66 meticulously placed rubies, and the bezel sparkles with a multitude of diamonds, capped with a crown featuring a cabochon ruby. Tiny red hearts subtly indicate the hours on a separate chapter ring. The hands gracefully sweep across the dial for hours and minutes, harmonizing with the alligator leather band. Furthermore, both the lug and the folding clasp are embellished with carefully set diamonds.

Within its 33mm oval-shaped enclosure, the timepiece houses a complex 586/1 automatic movement consisting of 180 components, offering a 38-hour energy reserve and a frequency of 3 Hz. This mechanism features a silicon-made balance spring, a material celebrated for its multiple benefits. Silicon is notably resistant to corrosion and wear, immune to magnetic disturbances, and enhances the watch’s accuracy. Every element, whether seen or unseen, receives meticulous hand-finishing, true to Breguet’s esteemed craftsmanship. The sapphire crystal at the back of the white gold casing exposes the platinum rotor, displaying exquisite Côtes de Genève patterns and detailed bevelling on the movement.

History of the Queen’s Watch

During her time as the queen of Naples, Caroline Murat, Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger sister, was an avid patron of the arts and amassed more than 30 Breguet timepieces and clocks. In a period where women typically wore watches as pendants, Caroline Murat made a pioneering and forward-thinking request to Abraham-Louis Breguet: she wanted a watch designed to be worn on her wrist. Consequently, in 1810, Abraham-Louis Breguet embarked on creating this unique piece: the inaugural wristwatch in the world.

This historic watch, conceptualized by a woman and crafted by a man, was completed in 1812. It underwent maintenance in 1849 and 1855. The Breguet archives hold detailed records of this watch, charting its history and features, although the watch itself is no longer extant. This slender, rectangular timepiece featured a silver guilloché face and was equipped with several complex functions, including a minute repeater, a moon phase indicator, and a thermometer. It also boasted a bracelet made from strands of hair woven with gold threads, allowing it to be worn on the wrist.