Every watch collection has to start somewhere. But what about the first-ever wristwatch?
For that, we have to go back to 1810, when Queen Caroline Murat of Naples (Napoleon’s sister, no big deal) placed a special order. She wanted a watch that wasn’t on a chain or in a pocket - she wanted it on her wrist.
This had never been done before. Enter Abraham-Louis Breguet, one of the greatest watchmakers of all time. He spent two and a half years designing something completely new:
* An ultra-thin, oval-shaped repeater (because even in the 1800s, complications were cool).
* A built-in thermometer (perfect for checking if it was hot enough to duel someone).
* A bracelet made of gold and woven hair (which raises so many questions).
Here’s where it gets interesting. The watch vanished in the 19th century. No one knows where it is. No photos. No museum piece. Just historical records.
So, since AI is apparently smarter than us now, I fed it the description and challenged it to come up with an accurate image, here’s the result:
Is it accurate? Who knows. But hey, if the original ever turns up, I’ll let you know.
Crazy to think that one watch started it all, right? Now we’ve got wristwatches in space, on deep-sea dives, and at the center of billion-dollar collections.
Talk soon,
Ben
P.S. We don’t have any watches from 1812 in stock, but we do have some vintage beauties. Check them out by clicking the link below:
VINTAGE WATCHES