The 3 watches of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

It is considered relatively certain that it was thanks to his comrades-in-arms Berthier and Dessolle, as well as General Leclerc – all three of Breguet's regular customers – that General Bonaparte heard about the watchmaking workshop on the Quai de l'Horloge.

In April 1798, one month before setting out on his Egyptian expedition, Napoleon acquired three models that particularly well represented Breguet's production: the repeater watch with isolated escapement No. 38, the travel pendulette with calendar and striking mechanism No. 178 (the first of its kind), and the automatic repeater watch No. 216.

There are probably two reasons for these purchases: First and foremost, Napoleon, on his meteoric social and political rise, strives to own noble objects as symbols of his power and social status.

In addition, there are purely practical considerations, because on his campaigns he needs stable and reliable timepieces