Iconic Breguet Reine de Naples Launched in Mint Green to Mark International Women’s Day
The iconic Reine de Naples timepiece has a rich history. It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger sister and erstwhile queen of Naples Caroline Murat was quite fond of timepieces created by Abraham-Louis Breguet; she owned an impressive collection of over 30 timepieces. In those days, women usually wore their watches as sautoir necklaces. But Caroline made an unusual request: she wanted Abraham-Louis Breguet to produce a timepiece that could be worn on her wrist. And thus Breguet's founder began working on the world's first wristwatch. The year was 1810.
The Maison’s archives retrace the history and characteristics of the first wristwatch. Its slender oblong proportions housed a silver guilloché dial and comprised several complications, namely a quarter repeater, a moon phase, and a thermometer. The wristwatch was worn on a wristlet of hair woven with gold thread.
Celebrating International Women’s Day, Breguet has now unveiled a new iteration – the Breguet Reine de Naples 8918, which offers a fresh take in mint green.
Dialling It Up
The captivating dial in gold, paved with 121 diamonds and white mother-of-pearl, features a dazzling chapter ring crafted by using the snow-setting technique. A discreet black minutes track, decorated with symbols inspired by the pocket watches developed by Abraham-Louis Breguet, graces the watch face. Breguet’s signature open-tipped hands indicate the hours and minutes while a pear-shaped diamond at 6 o'clock creates a poetic embellishment.
The Arabic numerals have a two-dimensional appearance as a result of layering two shades of green. Between 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock, the watch's unique number confirms its authenticity. A total of 117 diamonds adorn the inner flange and the bezel, lending the dial a brilliant glow. The crown is topped with a briolette-cut diamond, underscoring the timepiece’s association with royalty.
The watch is presented on an alligator leather strap, fastened by a folding clasp, adorned with 28 brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Movement
At the heart of this ovoid beauty lies the 191-component 537/3 self-winding movement with a 45-hour power reserve; it is equipped with a balance spring and an in-line Swiss lever escapement made of silicon. Besides its resistance to corrosion and wear, this material is also impervious to the effects of magnetic fields and improves the accuracy of the timepiece. The white gold case's sapphire crystal back shows the platinum weight and the movement's polished screws and round chamfers, along with the Côtes de Genève decoration. The individual watch number is engraved around the gold rim.
