Breguet Reine De Naples: Imperial Provenance From A Cornerstone Ladies' Watch

I think it's very important to visit from time to time the domain of ladies’ watches even if you are in a presumably male-dominated niche. Every time a watch brand creates its products without any sign of feminine elegance, it risks being oblivious to the urgency of relevance in a shifting phase of the watch industry. Evoked by the inflating prominence of this traditionally underrepresented consumer segment, the role of women in watch collector communities is driving interest at scale. Women today compose an expanding demographic for the watch industry and as recently highlighted in the Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Insights 2024, this treat-yourself trend is directing a major shift in market dynamics. Amidst all this discrepant gender catering, the irony that the first ever wristwatch was actually a ladies’ watch gets lost. In that sense, every wristwatch ever produced carries the indelible influence of a feminine opus. As a matter of fact, don’t we all. So, let’s get up close with the feminine alpha in horological anthropology, that is the Breguet Reine de Naples.

Fabled lineage of the cornerstone ladies’ watch

For something confined to mere millimeters, Breguet’s Reine de Naples packs in a lot of history that literally can be traced back to the world’s first known wristwatch. From an oddball request by Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples to the contemporary collection of today, the Reine de Naples has experienced impressive technical and aesthetic adjustments all while retaining one of the most organic, sensuous and sinuous case designs in modern watchmaking. Throughout its tangible being, the Reine de Naples has been one of very few horological entities purely dedicated to women. The collection is undisputed royalty right from its genesis to its preferences of execution. In a way, it establishes the template for higher realisations of a ladies’ watch and in doing so favors the segment’s projected CAGR (growth rate) of 2.59% for the next decade as the women’s watch market is forecast to reach $35 billion by 2032.

Royal origins

The name Reine de Naples comes from Caroline Murat, the youngest sister of Napoleon I who became the queen consort of Naples and Sicily in 1808. Although her reign lasted briefly up until 1815, she was very well-liked and so was her husband Joachim Murat. Caroline was noted for her sharp intellect and diplomatic skills, attracting the respect of even her political adversaries. She was a true patron of the arts and initiated reforms to promote art and science. Two years after the beginning of her reign, she ordered an ultra-thin watch on a bracelet from Abraham-Louis Breguet. This 1810 order for the first watch designed to be worn on the wrist marks a historical event in the watchmaking lore and was quite complicated for its time as well as the nature of its commission.

This particular example, watch number 2639, which was paid for in 1811 and delivered in 1812, was requested as “an ultra-thin repeating watch, oblong in shape, equipped with a thermometer and mounted on a wristlet of hair entwined with gold thread.” A thermometer on the wrist is unexpected, but maybe 19th century royalty had an eccentric interest in consulting watches to determine the layering required for their ensemble. Was it strange, yes. Impossible, well how could it be for someone like A.-L. Breguet. So, the first-ever wristwatch was a lady’s idea and actually quite symbolic of the special affinity that the beautiful Queen of Naples had for Breguet from whom she acquired thirty-four timepieces between 1808 and 1814.

The rebirth

In homage to the wristwatch created for the Queen of Naples in 1810, Breguet introduced a contemporary face of the iconic example with the launch of the Reine de Naples collection in 2002. It sort of reinvents the original classic in a modern edible profile, retaining its egg-like shape for the case and the preference of complications as the debut reference comes packed with a moon-phase mechanism. Since its comeback, the collection has become rich and varied, ranging from simple time-only models to very decorated and complicated ones.

As a rarity in regards to ladies watch collections of the extended market of now, the Reine de Naples’ key differentiator is that some movements are specially developed for this collection with complications that are either not available in men's watches or that are particularly evocative. In this, the Reine de Naples distinguishes itself clearly from other ladies’ watch collections and luxury women watches. As its more impressive hallmark, this collection is dedicated to giving a better access to high-end complicated watchmaking to ladies wherein traditional efforts have yielded a stereotypic adherence to a boring and unimpressive recipe: gem set precious metal cases of petite proportions reflecting and scattering every available photon. The Reine de Naples on the other hand offers a bold aside to the bitter cliché and by lending an aesthetic canvas to an array of horological complications, establishes a benchmark for the art of mechanical to thrive.

A continuation of complicated tradition

The progression of the Breguet Reine de Naples watch collection has been an impressive and cherished undertaking at the Maison. This classic collection cuts no corners in terms of refinements and preserves the engagement of mechanical innovation to fulfill timekeeping obligation. Here’s a curated exploration charting the Reine de Naples’ journey from its 2002 debut to the current era.

Reine de Naples 8905 and 8908 (2002): The inaugural models, with a classic oblong case, mechanical movement and a mother-of-pearl dial. The latter features a moon phase complication.

Reine de Naples Phase de Lune 8909 (2002): Incorporates a power reserve indicator.

Reine de Naples Cammea 8958 (2008): The dial on this example represents a sunflower carved using the special technique of Cameo.

Reine de Naples 8918 (2010): Introduced to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the original wristwatch, this model offers variations with complications like tourbillons and power reserve indicators.

Reine de Naples 8928 (2013): Showcases Breguet's expertise in gem-setting, with diamond-paved bezels and intricate diamond patterns on the dial.

Reine de Naples 8998 (2013): Features a day/night indication.

Reine de Naples 8938 (2014): Retains the original oval case, incorporating a retrograde date indicator and a moon phase display.

Reine de Naples 8965 (2017): Showcases Breguet's expertise in high jewelry with lavish gemstone embellishments and a grand feu enamel dial.

Reine de Naples 8968 (2017): Highlights Breguet's artistic craftsmanship with dials adorned with hand-painted miniatures and intricate enamel work.

Reine de Naples 8908 (2018): This reinterpretation of Reine de Naples original collection is decorated with 128 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.77 carats on the bezel.

Reine de Naples 8978 (2018): Introduces a minute repeater complication.

Reine de Naples 8957 (2021): Features a unique “secret” mechanism that reveals a second time zone.

Reine de Naples Jour/Nuit 8999 (2019): Features delicate diamond setting. Inspired by the original from 2013, this model too offers a mechanical interpretation of the daily ballet of the sun and the moon, featuring a day/night indicator and a diamond-set white gold case.

Reine de Naples Cœur Eternal Love 9835 (2021): It features a flexible beating-heart minute hand that changes shape as it moves around the dial, expanding towards noon and contracting towards six.

Reine de Naples 8918 (2024): This newest version adds a fresh mint green dial to the classic 8918 design, maintaining the collection's signature elegance.

A collection beyond the bias

The Reine de Naples collection at Breguet, one of the most decorated luxury watch brands for women, is the only dedicated ladies’ line-up that caters to the growing interest of female consumers for complicated mechanical timepieces. Although ladies-specific examples occur in other collections, the Reine de Naples right from its onset has been a watch crafted for a queen. It will persist as a true marvel of miniaturisation of the heritage artisanal and mechanical crafts brewing within the Maison for more than 250 years.

Agreed, women do have choices of avenues of consumption when it comes to personal luxury items. But a fine timepiece such as a Breguet Reine de Naples is undisputed in a sense that it transcends the somewhat stereotypic superficiality often associated with women’s luxury items. It serves an impressive blend of utility, enduring value and artistic expression. It could even be a timeless heirloom.