SimplyAbuDhabi XLIV

S aid to have been fascinated by Breguet’s watches, Marie-Antoinette acquired over the years a number of his timepieces, notably a perpétuelle fitted with a self-winding device. In 1783, a mysterious admirer of hers ordered from Breguet, as a gift for the Queen, a watch that was to be as spectacular as possible, incorporating the fullest range of horological expertise known at the time. The order stipulated that wherever possible gold should replace other metals and that auxiliary mechanisms, i.e. complications, should be as numerous and varied as possible. For two centuries now, both this timepiece’s extreme intricacy and its fabulous destiny have fascinated watchmakers and haunted the imagination of collectors. In 2004, Nicolas G. Hayek challenged Breguet’s watchmakers to build an exact replica of this breathtaking pocket watch. After four long years of research and reconstruction, the new Marie-Antoinette timepiece was proudly placed in its impressive presentation case, carved from the wood of the very Versailles oak tree under which the Queen once used to rest. Simply Abu Dhabi | 117