Close Up: Breguet Secret de la Reine

Today we’re taking a close up look at the “Secret de la Reine” by Breguet. This unique timepiece honors the Swiss manufacture’s ancestral savoir-faire and design; in this case, cameo carving.

The Secret de la Reine was inspired by the “Marie-Antoinette à la rose” portrait of the Queen of France, who, along with her husband Louis XVI of France, was executed during the French Revolution. The watch is adorned with a beautiful cameo engraved rose, which, in the tradition of secret watches, reveals the time only once a hidden hinge is engaged to show the dial below.

Set in a round 18K white gold case, the Secret de la Reine is paved with 431 brilliant-cut diamonds. The silvered gold dial is also set with 116 brilliant-cut diamonds. A Breguet medallion in white mother-of-pearl is inset at 12 o’clock. The Cal. 586 self-winding movement affords this timepiece a 38 hour power reserve.

The Secret de la Reine is completed by a heat-pleated leather strap with folding clasp paved with 26 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Photos courtesy Breguet.