Watchmaker Breguet pays tribute to one of its earliest patrons

The collection features jewelled sets and timepieces with such grand names as Le Temple de l'Amour, Le Petit Trianon, Les Plumes and, the star of the show, La Rose de la Reine, a jewellery set that features the fabulous Reine de Naples Cammea wristwatch.

The Reine de Naples is inspired by one of Breguet's noblest clients, Caroline Murat, queen of Naples, for whom Abraham-Louis Breguet crafted the world's first wristwatch in 1810.

Pearls and diamonds are the leading lights of this collection, says Breguet jewellery sales manager, Stanislas Chevrin.

The watch collection, he adds, is based on the previous Breguet dial Cammeo Naples watch.

"We wanted to make a link between the history of Breguet while giving a modern interpretation to the design that will touch the heart of every women with a sense of art," he says.

It takes three weeks for the dial of each watch to be made, with craftsmen from the south of Italy delicately carving the different layers from natural seashell. Precious stones are carefully selected for placement around the bezel and the watch is finished with an 18 carat gold rotor, hand-engraved on a rose engine set with natural mother of pearl.

Another set in the collection, Le Petit Trianon, is named after the estate in the grounds of Versailles Palace of which Marie Antoinette was so fond. The French queen was so fascinated by Breguet's unique self-winding watch - King Louis XVI bought several - that she commissioned a watch that was to contain every watch function known at that time. Unfortunately, she died before her timepiece was ready for delivery.

Today, the exceptional jewellery sets designed by Breguet's leading craftsman remain as unique as they were 200 years ago and are still only made to order. And despite the economic downturn, these pieces remain in demand from the firm's faithful, long standing clients, leaving Breguet to retain its reputation as watchmaker to the aristocracy.