A pocket watch designed for Queen Marie Antoinette, renowned for its extraordinary features even by modern standards, has been unveiled at an exhibition in Versaille, celebrating the science of the royal court.
The watch, often considered one of the most intricate and costly timepieces ever created, was commissioned in 1783 but remained unfinished until years after the Queen's execution during the French Revolution.
"It took so long to create that it wasn't finished until long after Marie Antoinette had met her unfortunate end," said Dr Glyn Morgan, Curatorial Lead for Exhibitions at the Science Museum in London.
Described as the "smartwatch of its time" by Dr Morgan, the timepiece incorporates advanced features, or "complications," as they were termed in the era. It includes a stopwatch, a thermometer, a shock absorber, a self-winding mechanism, and a perpetual calendar calibrated for leap years.
The pocket watch's additional features enable the on-demand sounding of the hour, quarter-hour, and minute, alongside an independent second hand functioning as a stopwatch.
"Everyone thinks they know the story of Versaille," said Dr Morgan. "They think it's a story of power and opulence and maybe the French Revolution. This exhibition is about all of that, but it's also about a revolution of a different sort, a scientific revolution."
