When Abraham-Louis Breguet left his native Switzerland for Paris in 1762, little did he suspect that he was about to embark upon a dazzling career and meet Queen Marie Antoinette of France, who would go on to play a pivotal role in the young watchmaker’s career.
A.-L. Breguet received his first order from the Queen in 1782, for whom he created a perpetual repeater watch with calendar. It is likely that Breguet was introduced to the Queen at this time. She was soon charmed by the magnificent 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. Until her very last days, the Queen demonstrated exemplary loyalty to the brand and even commissioned a “simple Breguet watch” from within the Temple Prison, where she was held captive in 1792.
Pocketwatch Marie Antoinette No 1160. © Breguet Replica Watches
Incidentally, it was for Marie Antoinette that Breguet designed a watch that would remain the most complicated wrist
Swiss replica watches ever produced for almost a century. It all began in 1783, when A.-L. Breguet received a surprising order from an unidentified officer of the Queen’s guard. It involved producing a watch for the sovereign that incorporated all the complications and developments known at the time and for which gold was to replace all other materials wherever possible.
However, the Queen never had the chance to admire the timepiece. It was only completed in 1827 – 34 years after her death, 44 years after it was ordered and 4 years after the death of A.-L. Breguet himself.
Both the extreme complexity of this timepiece and its remarkable history have captivated the watchmaking world and collectors for more than two centuries - stolen in 1983 from a museum in Jerusalem, it was eventually relocated in 2007.
In 2005, the late Nicolas G. Hayek set his teams the challenge of identically reproducing this exceptional pocket watch on the sole basis of a few documents. During this incredible project, Breguet learned that Marie Antoinette’s oak, the Queen’s favourite tree in Versailles, was diseased and about to be cut down. In an attempt to give it a second life, the decision was taken to use the wood from the tree to craft the box of the Marie Antoinette watch. Versailles thus gave a sizeable piece of this oak tree to the watch brand which, in recognition of this gift, chose to support the estate. This was the beginning of a new milestone in Breguet’s connection to Versailles.
Montres Breguet therefore decided to support the château de Versailles by reviving the Petit Trianon that belonged to Marie Antoinetten. The brand’s actions have thus enabled a jewel of French neoclassical architecture to be restored to its former glory. All of the original decorative features have been restored, museological adjustments have been made, the apartments have been refurnished and all the technical installations have been revised. After commencing in 2007, the works came to an end in September 2008.
Breguet has regularly drawn inspiration from the Queen’s world to create exceptional pieces. In 2009, the “La Rose de la Reine” High Jewellery line took its inspiration from the famous painting "Marie Antoinette with the rose" by portrait artist Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun. Meanwhile, the “Les Volants de la Reine” collection pays vibrant tribute to the outfits worn by the Queen of France. First presented in 2014, the range astonishes with the elegance and complexity of its shapes, which recall the finest pleated silks and laces that adorned dresses at the time.
The Petit Trianon has also become a source of inspiration for the Manufacture. The “Petit Trianon” jewellery line, launched in 2009, offers a simple reinterpretation of the refined, royal theme that characterises the place she cherished so dearly.
