Marie Antoinette, a Queen in Versailles

To mark the launch in Tokyo of the “Marie-Antoinette, a Queen in Versailles” exhibition, Breguet revisits the Désir de la Reine watch, now presented in a special version with a dial set with pink sapphires and diamonds.

Unveiled within the framework of the launch in Tokyo of the “Marie-Antoinette, a Queen in Versailles” exhibition, the one-of-a-kind Classique Rose de la Reine highlights a particular variety of the flowers that graced Marie-Antoinette’s gardens, the “Rosa Centifolia Bullata”. Breguet has opted for the technique of enamelling in order to do justice to the beauty of these dainty blooms.

The Marie-Antoinette “Grande Complication” pocket watch N°1160 will be displayed at :
- the Mori Arts Center on 2-3 November 2016, click here
- the Breguet Boutique Ginza on 4-6 November 2016, click here

This iconic model is a reproduction, on the unique basis of archives and documents, of the “Marie-Antoinette” No. 160, a timepiece ordered from A.-L. Breguet in 1783 for the queen, and which for almost a century remained the most complicated model ever made. This horological wonder is currently on display at the Mori Arts Center Gallery. From November 4th to 6th, it is making a stopover at the Breguet Boutique in Tokyo, before returning to the Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, where it is preciously preserved.

Established on Paris’s Quai de l’Horloge since 1775, A.-L. Breguet received his first order from Marie-Antoinette in 1782, for whom he created a perpetual repeater watch with calendar. The queen was soon charmed by the magnificent and ingenious creations of the master watchmaker, becoming one of his first and most faithful admirers. She purchased several timepieces from the watchmaker and readily expressed her enthusiasm to the French court and some of her guests, including foreign diplomats.

More than a place of residence, the Petit Trianon was a special, sophisticated location where Marie-Antoinette could escape from the tiresome protocol of the court to enjoy her pastimes and a more authentic lifestyle. As part of its desire to contribute to the preservation of European historical and cultural heritage, Breguet announced in January 2006 an exclusive partnership with the château de Versailles aiming to revive Marie-Antoinette’s estate.

Right from its origins, Breguet has consistently appealed to women through exceptional creations mingling jewellery sophistication and mechanical prowess. In creating precious gemset pieces, Breguet craftsmen draw inspiration from the prestigious feminine clients whose names have historically graced its order books. The High Jewellery collection comprises regal-looking pieces notably echoing the splendid universe of the queen of France, Marie-Antoinette.