Napoleon Bonaparte may have made an indelible mark throughout history as the Emperor of the French, but not many may know that his sister Caroline Murat (née Bonaparte) was the Queen of Naples. Renowned for her beauty and intelligence, she was also a patron of the arts, a collector, and fond of timepieces by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Fascinatingly, it was an avant-garde order she placed in 1810 at a time when ladies wore timepieces as sautoir necklaces that led to Breguet’s revolutionary creation of the world’s first wristwatch.
Numerous interpretations of the now iconic Reine de Naples timepiece with its signature slender ovoid case have been created since 2002. Embracing a palette of soft colours including pink, grey, and white, Breguet now introduces the ultra-feminine Reine de Naples 8918 in a fresh mint green shade. The delicate shade appears in Arabic numerals on the dial in two superimposed shades, which match the exemplary alligator leather strap fastened by a holding clasp adorned with 28 brilliant-cut diamonds. Between 11 and 12 o’clock sits the watch’s unique number, characteristic of the prestigious watchmaker that allows each of their timepieces to be traced, even to the future generations who will inherit it.
Discerning watch cognoscenti will appreciate the impeccably crafted dial, which comes in white mother-of-pearl, meticulously adorned with a snow setting of 121 diamonds in the centre. The details of the watch further dazzle with diamonds, 117 brilliant-cut diamonds on the inner and outer bezel, and a pear-shaped diamond at 6 o’clock.
Equipped with the in-house calibre 537/3, the timepiece’s automatic movement has a power reserve of 45 hours and oscillates at 3.5Hz. Breguet watches are revered for their complexity, and its sapphire crystal caseback allows the wearer to admire its round movement, complete with a balance spring and an in-line Swiss lever escapement made of silicon. These are resistant to corrosion and wear, and are insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields, further improving the accuracy of the timepiece.
Simultaneously an ode to the past and a nod to the present, there is no doubt that the late distinguished patron of the House would add this timepiece to the nearly 34 Breguet timepieces she owned throughout her lifetime.
