| Type | Mechanical |
|---|---|
| Display | Analogue |
| Introduced | 1827 |
The Breguet No. 160 grand complication, more commonly known as the Marie-Antoinette or the Queen, is a case watch designed by Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet. Work on the watch was begun in 1782 and completed in 1827, four years after Breguet's death.
The watch was commisioned in 1783 by an admirer of the French Queen, Marie Antoinette. The watch was to contain every watch function known at that time, including the following:
Marie Antoinette never lived to see the watch, as it was completed 34 years after she had been executed. This watch was part of the watch collection at the L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art in Jerusalem, having been donated as part of the David Lionel Salomons collection. It was stolen by renowned master-thief Na'aman Diller with many other watches in 1983 - although it has been recovered in 2007.[2]
Watchmakers from Breguet, supported by Swatch chairman Nicolas Hayek, tried to make a copy of the watch in 2005. The watch was finished after three years and presented to the public in a wooden case made out of the favorite tree of Queen Marie-Antoinette.[3]