The luxury Swiss watchmaker has unveiled a new Reine de Naples 8918 to celebrate International Women’s Day 2024!
Breguet pays tribute to one of its iconic collections while celebrating femininity with the latest version of the Reine de Naples 8918. The Reine de Naples has one of the deepest and most influential histories in the world of horology. While the collection pays tribute to the women who have made incredible marks throughout history, it is also the collection that served as the first wristwatch ever made.
Breguet’s first wristwatch started with Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger sister, Caroline Murat, a brilliant and inspiring figure. She was a woman of great intelligence and literary culture, a patron of the arts, and an avid collector. Her bold and daring personality and her thirst for knowledge meant that she took a keen interest not only in the world of art but also in the economic, social and educational issues within her kingdom. By understanding these issues, she was able to orchestrate projects such as creating schools for young girls and reforming coral factories.
Straight from Breguet’s history pages, the story behind the first Reine de Naples is that “Caroline Murat was particularly fond of timepieces by Abraham-Louis Breguet and amassed an impressive collection of over 30 timepieces. At a time when ladies wore their watches as sautoir necklaces, she placed a daring and avant-garde order with Abraham-Louis Breguet, for a timepiece that she could wear on her wrist.
The year was 1810, and Breguet’s founder began to work on this one-of-a-kind model: the world’s first wristwatch.
The Breguet archives trace the history and characteristics of this now-vanished timepiece from its delivery in 1812 to its repairs in 1849 and 1855.
In Breguet’s modern-day watchmaking, the Reine de Naples collections have been offered with a variety of soft colours to embrace feminine beauty. The collection has been offered pink, grey, and white models, with the line now welcoming the newest edition, the Reine de Naples 8918, in mint green.
This latest Reine de Naples 8918 has a white mother-of-pearl dial with a sparkling chapter ring made with diamonds using the snow-setting technique. The off-set dial located at 6 o’clock is surrounded by a black minute track. This minute track also features symbols inspired by pocket watches developed by Abraham-Louis Breguet. The timepiece features Breguet’s signature hour and minute hands, designed with an open tip.
The dial has Arabic numerals in minute green, done in an artistic style to suit the oblong shape of the case and wrapped around the time dial at 6 o’clock. The colour for the numerals has been created by layering two shades of green, which in turn gives the Arabic numerals a two-dimensional appearance. The 6 o’clock hour numeral has been replaced with a pearl-shaped diamond, adding to the decorative aesthetic of the timepiece.
The timepiece’s unique number is between the 11 o’clock and 12 o’clock hour indices, guaranteeing its authenticity. Breguet’s numbering tradition dates back to the brand’s early years. The intention behind the numbering is that you can trace the timepieces throughout the brand’s history.
This beautifully elegant timepiece’s inner flange and bezel are adorned with 117 diamonds, adding an added touch of luxury. The briolette-cut diamond on the crown tops off this timepiece fit for a queen. The mint green leather strap also comes with a folding clasp that has 28 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Breguet’s 537/3 self-winding movement, made up of 191 parts, beats inside the 36.5 x 28.45mm white gold Ovid case. It is equipped with a balance spring and a silicon-made in-line Swiss lever escapement. The use of silicon material resists corrosion and wear and tear while also being insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields, improving the timepiece’s accuracy. The 537/3 movement comes with a 45-hour power reserve, whilst beating at a frequency of 3Hz (21,600 Vph).
The case back of the Reine de Naples 8918 gives a view to the 537/3 self-winding movement. All of the calibre components are carefully handcrafted in the Breguet tradition, whether visible or concealed from view. The sapphire-crystal back of the white gold case reveals the platinum weight, as well as the Côtes de Genève decoration, polished screws and chamfering on the movement. The individual watch number is also engraved around the gold rim.
Final Thoughts
An ode to the very first timepiece in the world of horology, Breguet knows how to create beautiful, elegant timepieces. The Reine de Naples collection is a tribute to all the hardworking women who have shaped history and paved the way for others to do so. Caroline Murat, the owner of the first Reine de Naples, fits this description perfectly. She also influenced how this first Reine de Naples and, in turn, the world’s first wristwatch turned out. Since then, Breguet has kept the iconic design intact while updating it to modern standards.
Now, Breguet adds a new colour to the latest Reine de Naples 8918, adding to the timepiece’s already beautiful colour palette. The soft mint green colour not only complements but also enhances the timepiece’s elegant aesthetic. Subtle details, such as the symbols on the minute track around the time dial, show the brand’s history, with the symbols tracing back to the pocket watch era. The luxury appearance of the dial is enhanced through the diamonds on the bezel, the inner flange of the dial, and the briolette-cut diamond on the crown. All these elements come together to create a timepiece that is artistic and elegant luxury, a reference to the first owner of the Reine de Naples.
Reference: 8918BB5D964D0
Specification:
- Case: 36.5 mm x 28.45 mm
- Thickness: 10.1 mm
- Case Material: 18k white gold set with 117 brilliant-cut diamonds, crown set with a briolette-cut diamond
- Case back: Sapphire-crystal caseback.
- Dial: In gold paved with 121 diamonds and in natural white mother-of-pearl, offset chapter ring with transferred Breguet Arabic numerals and set with a pear-shaped diamond.
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment.
- Water resistance: 30m / 3bar
- Movement: 537/3 Calibre automatic self-winding with flat balance spring and in-line Swiss pallet lever in silicon.
- Power reserve: 45 Hours
- Strap/Bracelet: Alligator leather, triple-blade folding clasp set with 28 brilliant-cut diamonds
