Breguet's ties with royalty trace back to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who ordered various timekeepers from Abraham-Louis Breguet's workshop on Ile de la Cité, Paris.
Imperial patrons included Napoleon Bonaparte, Empress Josephine and Napoleon's sister, Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples.
Breguet's first ever wristwatch was actually commissioned by the Queen of Naples, who received the oblong-shaped repeater equipped with a thermometer in 1812.
The classic ovoid case remains a hallmark of the Reine de Naples collection, whose majestic models, along with high-jewellery timepieces related to the other consorts, were exhibited at an exclusive viewing held at Savelberg restaurant and hosted by the Swatch Group Trading (Thailand) and Pendulum, the official distributor of Breguet in Thailand.
Striking in both appearance and mechanism, Reine de Naples 8973, released in 2012, marked the 200th anniversary of Breguet's first wristwatch.
Reine de Naples Haute Joaillerie 8909.
The Grand Complication acoustically appeals with two chimes repeated thrice, marking the top of every hour. Striking hammers appear above a subdial at 11 and 1 o'clock, and in-between, a rose engraved in gold indicates the engagement of the hour striker, while a pushpiece at 2 o'clock disables the striking mechanism.
A lavish setting of brilliant-cut diamonds and blue sapphires on the bezel and snap, as well as on a silvered gold dial and flange, give it an alluring blue face, with the different nuances of the precious stones creating a subtle gradation.
The back is as stunning, with the sapphire crystal revealing bridges, oscillating weight and decoration forming an image of a Mediterranean-style garden pavilion, evoking those of Caroline Murat's stately residences
The centrepiece of the high-jewellery collection, though, is a blooming Reine de Naples with 116 diamond-baguette petals independently swaying on the caseband, made possible by mobile gem-setting.
The inventive timepiece is one of Breguet's Crazy Flowers, whose flange, inward-sloping dial and off-centre chapter ring also sparkle with diamonds.
Housed in a case entirely set with baguette-cut diamonds, Reine de Naples Haute Joaillerie 8939 also showcases savoir faire in pavé setting of baguette diamonds on the dial. Manually engine-turned in silvered gold, the off-centre dial plate features a pear-cut diamond at 6 o'clock, while mother-of-pearl rays elegantly mark the hours.
The exhibited timepieces are in white gold, apart from the yellow gold L'Orangerie with spessartine garnets, pink tourmalines, spinels, rubies and yellow rubies recalling the colours of the garden in Château de Versailles.
Reine de Naples Haute Joaillerie 8939.
A rose gold rendition of Reine de Naples Haute Joaillerie 8909 differs with ruby cabochons as a red accent on its exquisite diamond-set bracelet.
The time is displayed on a silvered gold subdial, engine-turned and paved with brilliant-cut diamonds. On the bluish Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, an aperture for the moon is positioned at 12 o'clock along with a power-reserve indicator.
Besides honouring the Queen of Naples, Breguet incorporated Italian artisanal tradition into models with a cameo dial. Located on the Bay of Naples, Torre del Greco is renowned for cameo work, which is an engraving in high relief on materials having strata of contrasting colours.
Using a steel stylus, the craftsman works on different layers of natural seashell to a depth of under 2mm, in sculpting flowers or animals from the Chinese zodiac signs on the dial.
The hand-carving also created the cameo rose on the cover of Secret de La Reine, inspired by a portrait of Marie Antoinette holding the flower, painted by Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun in 1783.
Pressing on the rose reveals the time on a silvered gold dial paved with brilliant-cut diamonds in a traditional setting. The feminine model also features an emblematic bow set with brilliant-cut diamonds, and a white-gold bracelet imitating loops of a pleated ribbon.
The bows and ribbons on Marie Antoinette's gowns further inspired the design of Désir de la Reine embellished with pear-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds on the bow motif and natural mother-of-pearl dial.
Empress Josephine's jewellery and other adornments are reflected on Perles Imperiales, featuring a natural white mother-of-pearl dial whose engine-turned motif is redolent of dainty embroidery work.
A large Akoya pearl replaces the ball-type lug at 6 o'clock, while brilliant-cut diamonds are finely set around the rim of the bezel, to accentuate the oval shape of the case. Sophisticated gem-setting extends to beneath the prongs, where an additional row of diamonds is held in place by delicately-crafted gold wires of chaton settings.
Involving watchmakers and master-jewellers in crafting each precious piece, Breguet's high-jewellery models are made by order, at Pendulum boutiques in Siam Paragon and Gaysorn Village.
