An anonymous buyer walked away with the famous and historic, 18K gold, enamel and diamond-set hunter case ‘petite souscription à tact’ watch that belonged to Empress Josephine, wife of French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte. The buyer paid an astounding sum of $1.3 million at the Christie’s auction in Geneva, which is seven-fold its estimated pre-auction price.
The watch is a replica of the ‘montre a tact’ or ‘tactile watch’ pattern designed by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1790, when it was inappropriate to ask for time in public. The USP of the watch is its very ability to enable wearer identify time by its mere feel from outside as the watch hand resides outside.
The watch was inscribed with an ‘H’ initial after it was given to Hortense, wife of Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonparte, who went to become the Queen of Holland after Napoleon placed his brother as King in 1806.via
3 comments:
That is a beautiful watch!
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Wow.. thats one old piece of watch.. very antique.. no wonder why it is so expensive...
Could this Napoleon's Wife Hunter Case Watch tells the time of my life?
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