Brequet marie antoinette

Original painting size: 78 x 115 cm

The Breguet No. 160 “Marie Antoinette” pocket watch is a legendary and extremely complex timepiece with a rich history. There is both the original historical watch, currently on display in a museum, and an identical replica made by the house of Breguet.

The Original Watch

The original pocket watch, often referred to simply as the “Marie Antoinette,” is one of the most famous and valuable watches in the world, valued at around $30 million in 2013.

• History: The watch was commissioned in 1783 by a mysterious admirer (possibly Count Axel von Fersen, the Queen’s alleged lover) from the renowned watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, intended as a gift for Queen Marie Antoinette. No time or monetary limit was placed on the order, and it was to incorporate every known complication of the time. Due to the French Revolution and Breguet’s exile, it was only completed in 1827, 34 years after the Queen’s execution and four years after Breguet’s death, by his son.
• Specifications and Functions: The self-winding (perpétuelle) watch comprises 823 parts and components, and includes a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar (indicating day, date, and month), a thermometer, a power-reserve indicator, and an independent seconds hand (chronograph function). Wherever possible, gold was used instead of other metals, and all friction points are fitted with sapphires.
• Location: After a theft in 1983, the watch was recovered in 2007 and is now located at the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. It has been on display at the Science Museum in London as part of an exhibition that ran until April 2025.