Breguet - Reine de Naples 9835 and 9838

0 0 Tuesday, 6 December 2022 Edit this post

Breguet has added two new models to the Reine de Naples collection. They showcase different styles but with one thing in common: a minutes hand in the shape of a changing heart as first seen in the Reine de Naples Cœur ref. 9825 launched in January 2021.

Thanks to an ingenious mechanism devised by Breguet and protected by several patents, the hand changes shape according to its position on the oblong dial. The variable-length minutes hand is composed of two arms linked at one end yet independent of each other. These arms change shape thanks to a set of gears. The hand thus plays with the dial by appearing in different guises when it is stretched at 12 o'clock and then more rounded at 6 o'clock.

As the minutes go by, each arm operates at a different speed. The dimensions of the hand are constantly adapted in step with its path around the dial, thus perfectly following the shape of the case. The hour is indicated by an aperture in the dial centre.

Both models come in a 36.5 x 28.45 mm oval case with a fluted caseband and crafted from white gold.

The Reine de Naples 9835 is a 20-piece limited edition with bezel, flange and lugs set with 161 diamonds that elegantly frame a midnight blue mother-of-pearl dial, whose subtle hues vary as the light plays over it. The crown is embellished by a briolette-cut diamond.

The powdered silver-toned minutes numerals, featuring a font reminiscent of hand-drawn designs, are subtly offset.

Completed by an alligator leather strap with a folding clasp adorned with 28 diamonds, this model has a price of Euro 57,000.

The second model, the Reine de Naples 9838, is characterised by bezel, flange and crown set with blue sapphires. The white lacquered dial makes the offset Arabic numerals, which appear to stretch and shorten alternately, stand out very clearly.

Matched to a midnight blue alligator strap secured to the wrist by a folding clasp set with 28 blue sapphires, reference 9838 retails at the price of Euro 51,400.

The watches are powered by the 78A0 self-winding calibre beating at a frequency of 3.5 Hz with a power reserve of 40 hours. This movement is equipped with a balance spring as well as an in-line Swiss lever escapement that are both made of silicon, a material which is resistant to corrosion and wear as well as insensitive to the influence of magnetic fields.

The sapphire caseback reveals the movement’s platinum oscillating weight as well as the Côtes de Genève motif and bevelling. The gold rim is engraved with the individual watch number recorded in the Breguet archives that have been faithfully kept since the end of the 18th century. breguet.com