In 1812, Breguet gave one of his most loyal clients, Carolina Bonaparte (Napoleon’s sister), a totally unprecedented piece for the time: the first wristwatch. The resolutely modern models in the Reine de Naples collection are inspired by this poetic creation which, after several versions, especially in black and white, is now dressed in pink. This new timepiece is characterized by its feminine and refined visual harmony with its pink gold case, bezel and bezel set with 117 diamonds and its crown, which is also set with a diamond. The dial is light pink and decorated with “Grand feu” enamel, following the purest watchmaking tradition.
It is, without a doubt, the quintessential historical women’s watch. And it was a personal commission from Carolina Bonaparte (later Murat, when she married the Marshal of France and King of Naples) to expand her personal collection.
According to the Maison’s archives, on June 8, 1810 Napoleon’s younger sister requested “a grand complication carriage watch for the sum of 100 louis, as well as a repeater watch for a bracelet, for which we will charge 5,000 francs”. .
This is how two years later, in 1812, the Breguet No 2639 was born, the first wristwatch in history whose description has only come down to us through records. Those archives speak of “a watch of fine and delicate construction with an oval shape and various complications such as moon phase indicator, minute repeater or thermometer with a strap made of hair intertwined with gold threads”.
