Letter from the Publisher

Horology is a sphere of seemingly infinite knowledge and
inventions. The first time-measuring machine would seem to
date back to the first century B.C., in the shape of a bronze gear
calendar found off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera.
Even though it would be exaggerating to refer to it as an
authentic clock, this timepiece marks the symbolic starting
point of an uninterrupted succession of enhancements and
improvements that runs right through to the present day.
So many developments surrounding a single object were
bound to inspire horology specialists to pursue visions of
grandeur—or rather of miniaturization—by seeking to unite
all manner of innovations and complications within a single
• 110 Grand Complications, Vol. VII
THE ArT OF GrAnd COMplICATIOnS
Breguet, Marie-Antoinette
case. One of the most famous examples, created in the 18th
century, is that of the “Marie-Antoinette” watch by Breguet,
ordered for the queen of France in 1783, and not completed
until 1827. This masterpiece included a range of features
including automatic winding, an independent large seconds
hand, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, an equation
of time, a power reserve indicator and a thermometer. It was
stolen from a museum in Jerusalem in 1783, before showing
up again in 2007 in somewhat obscure circumstances. In
2008, Breguet presented an identical replica of this legendary
timepiece, housed within a box carved out of wood from the
queen’s favorite oak tree at Versailles.