Marie-Antoinette has a special fondness for Breguet’s works. She loves to collect anything novel with auspicious signs, so she bought several Breguet timepieces, including Yi Bao玑 Developed automatic watch (perpétuel watch). In 1783, an admirer wanted to present a gift to the queen, so he placed an order with Breguet’s workshop on the Quai de l’Horloge. He asked Breguet to integrate all the watch technology at that time to create One of the greatest watches. The order specifically stated that gold should be used as much as possible to replace other metals, and it must have a variety of complex functions. Since there is no limit on budget or time, Breguet is free to play.
Queen Mary’s watch N ° 1160 is equipped with an automatic winding device, and can repeat the time, time and minute with three questions, and the watch box is made of royal oak wood.
It is a pity that Queen Mary never appreciated this timepiece. This watch was completed in 1827. At that time, Queen Mary had died 34 years, 44 years before the order was placed, and the founder of Breguet had passed away 4 years. N ° 1160, also known as ‘Queen Mary’, has been a watchmaking legend since 1783. Its origins, stories, and extreme mysteries are as brilliant as epics, so it has been a dream for watchmakers and collectors for more than 200 years . Recently, its fate has been covered with a mysterious veil. It has been stolen in museums in Jerusalem and has disappeared for decades. A new page has been written for this legend.
The Breguet company set itself a challenge to fully replicate the Queen Mary watch in 2005. The company learned that the Queen Mary’s favorite oak tree in Versailles had fallen, so it decided to use oak wood to make the watch box and give it a new life . As the Breguet company worked hard to restore the Queen Mary’s palace, Versailles presented the oak tree as a gift. In 2007, just before the production of this watch was completed, the stolen works of 1983 suddenly appeared miraculously in Jerusalem, adding a new page to this legend. However, Breguet has not yet had the opportunity to inspect the stolen goods. Therefore, documents and sketches from the Breguet Museum and other important cultural institutions, such as the Paris Museum of Arts and Crafts, are the only research data on this table. A comparative study of today’s antique watches, especially Duc de Praslin watches, has made the watchmaking style and technology of that era shine. These studies gave a little insight into the lost technologies and allowed Breguet to make timepieces that were completely loyal to the original work. It can be difficult to reproduce and design so many complex functions based on documentation only, but watchmakers at Breguet have proven their talents. Every feature and decorative feature of Mary Anthony N ° 1160 is After careful research, this case with a diameter of 63 mm as an example, more copper alloy must be added to match the gold color at that time, so it is specially cast. The dial and case are equipped with mineral crystal mirrors, allowing the movement to display exquisite parts and ingenious decoration. The research results also bring another complication of the original pocket watch: the time jump indicator.
Queen Mary’s complication pocket watch N ° 1160 has been carefully studied for every function and decorative feature
Queen Mary’s watch is equipped with an automatic winding device and the three-question function that can tell the time, time and minute at any time. From that point of view, it is an unquestionable masterpiece. The complete perpetual calendar device displays the date, day of the week, and month at 2, 6 and 8 o’clock, respectively, and the time equation display at 10 o’clock provides the daily difference between solar time and average time. In the center of the dial, Breguet’s invented hour-jumping hand accompanies the minute hand and the independent long second hand, and the small second dial is located at 6 o’clock. The 48-hour power reserve indicator at 10:30 and the bimetal thermometer at 1:30 form a balanced configuration. Its self-winding movement has 823 parts and is carefully decorated. The plate and bridge plate, the small gears of the transmission gear train under the dial, the date and the minute repeater are made of polished rose gold. The screws are made of polished blue steel, and the friction points, openings and bearings are set with sapphire crystal. All tiny details are hand-decorated, revealing the perfect superb craftsmanship. This ingenious and incomparable movement is also equipped with a unique natural escapement, spiral gold balance spring and bimetal balance. Breguet’s invented pare chute anti-vibration device protects the balance shaft and automatic disk shaft from collision. harm. In order to collect this masterpiece that matches the queen, Breguet took more than 3,500 pieces of wood from the Royal Oak to make a precious watch box. The inside of the watch box luxuriously uses its wood to compose the pattern of Queen Mary’s hand-held roses. Inspired by the famous portrait of Queen Mary, the watch box faithfully presents the parquet flooring of Petit Trianon. Just as Breguet intended to make this watch a commemorative piece of the glorious era of the 18th century watch, the brand revived through this legendary masterpiece.