The Refined Elegance Of Breguet
Breguet doesn’t simply make ladies watches; they invented them! While there still is some debate who made the very first wristwatch for men, the consensus for ladies watches is that it was Abraham-Louis Breguet who made the very first. He did so for Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples and the younger sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was a lifelong admirer of Breguet and ordered her wristwatch in 1810, and it was delivered in 1812.
Today the ‘Reine de Naples,’ Queen of Naples in French, plays a prominent role in the offerings of Breguet for ladies. It combines mechanical movements with an oval-shaped case in which an exquisite dial serves as the focal point. What makes the Reine de Naples so refreshing is that it is so different from all other offerings in the market, and that is was created specifically with ladies in mind. It comes with a wide variety of dial options, ranging from playful to stylish, yet all crafted with an eye for detail.
What makes Breguet’s ladies watch so special is that their beauty is not just skin deep. They are seriously mechanical creations in the spirit setout by Abraham-Louis Breguet This becomes especially clear with the Tradition Dame, who’s modest dial leaves plenty of room at the front of the watch to show off its intriguing mechanics. While this makes it a very serious Haute Horlogerie creation, it is also a very elegant and feminine watch. This is ensured by the subtle details such as the bezel set with brilliant cut diamonds, the flower engraving on the mainspring barrel and the elegant crown.
While Breguet also offers its traditional guilloche dials on its ladies watches, many of them also feature a mother-of-pearl dial. Breguet has become a master in working with this fragile material and can not only engrave it but also offer it with refined guilloche patterns. What makes them truly exceptional is that they are all created by hand, which is given the nature of mother-of-pearl quite the achievement and something that takes a painstaking amount of time and patience to learn. The result is however of such a refined elegance that it without a doubt would have pleased Abraham-Louis Breguet himself.
