by John Biggs
Thanks to Marc Bascou of the Louvre Museum and Noemie Wuger of Breguet for their input and help tracking down sources and books. I’d also like to thank Breguet’s U.S. representative Amy Chia for getting the ball rolling. Special thanks go to the late Swatch Group CEO Nicholas Hayek, one of the most outspoken — and funniest — watch company heads in history. It is a distinct honor to have met him.
I also have to thank Emmanuel Breguet, family historian, for the unprecedented access he gave me to the records and letters of his ancestor along with insight into his excellent book, Breguet Watchmakers Since 1775.
Special thanks to my friend Ariel Adams who kept me updated on modern horology while I had my nose stuck in ancient clockwork.
Also thanks to Jonas Nordin and my friends in Helsinki and Sweden for their assistance in Baltic history. Thanks also to Kathy Chaney, Salomons Site Librarian, at Canterbury Christ Church University. Also thanks to Philip Poniz of Patrizzi & Co. for his further insight into the history of watches and watchmaking.
Special thanks to Berkeley Beyers, my quiet, able factchecker, whose assistance in research in my scorching hot attic in the New York summer will not be forgotten. Also thanks to Ezra Butler for assistance in some of the translation.
Thanks also to Nili Shamrat for agreeing to speak to me candidly about the love of her life.
Very special thanks to the team at Uvda who were instrumental in supplying me with the chronology of the theft and subsequent investigations. This great group — Nadav Zeevi, Chaim Rivlin, Barak Sher, along with Ran Golan at Keshet TV — helped me put the final pieces of the puzzle together after months of research. I’d also like to thank Igal Sarna in Tel Aviv who gave me a cultural understanding of the theft in the Israeli context. Roi Carthy, Ezra Butler, and Yael Beeri were also instrumental in helping me understand Tel Aviv. Danny Rubinstein told me the whole story as he knew it and told it well.
Other folks who helped along the way include the two Odeds, Oded Janiv and Oded Shamah, the investigators who patiently walked me through the loss and recovery of the L.A. Mayer collection. Also thanks to Rachel Hasson and Ali Kahan. Mrs. Hasson was such a good host that she made me feel welcome even when she was on vacation.
I’d also like to mention a few important figures in my writing life, Theresa DeFrancis, Tony Earley, Kathy Kane, Fred Brock, Scott McKenzie, Charlie White, and Stephen Solomon, all of who affected me in ways they probably aren’t aware. Special thanks to Sophie, Sacha, and Gille in Paris for their hospitality. Also a tip of the chip to Allen Kurzweil.
I’d also like to thank my amazing agent Larry Weissman who, a few years ago, was intrigued by one of my ideas and then hounded me through a proposal boot camp so grueling that I’ve come out a changed writer. He is a valued ally and a wonderful friend. I am also grateful for the work his lovely wife Sascha Alper put into this project throughout. I’d also like to thank Benjamin Wallace whose amazing book and later, whose guidance, taught me how to write a compelling narrative about an object of desire.
(Endnotes)
1 . At this point, recollections conflict. The unnamed client apparently requested no money, but Efron-Gabai reminded her that in a past a multimillion dollar reward had been offered by various parties – no one ever expected the items to be returned, so the incentive was more of a symbolic sum. If not the reward, then perhaps a small payment as an act of goodwill from the museum? After all, the client had not stolen anything and she was essentially doing a good deed. Whether the client asked for a reward or not is still unclear.
2 . Jones, C. Paris: Biography of a City. New York: Viking,. p.63 2005
3 . Howe, H.,. Memoirs of the most eminent American mechanics: also, lives of distinguished European mechanics; together with a collection of anecdotes, descriptions, &c. &c., relating to the mechanic arts. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 384
4 . “Nautical magazine and journal of the Royal Naval Reserve.” Chronometers and Their Makers In England and France 27 (1858): 136. 1847.
5 . Washington, G.,. The writings of George Washington: Being His Correspondence, Addresses, Messages, And Other Papers, Official and Private. Boston: Ferdinand Andrews. p 449. 1835.
6 . Morris, G. A Diary of the French Revolution. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press. p. 35. 1971.
7 . Loomis, p. 14
8 . Loomis, p. 14
9 . Barton, p. 2.
10 . Morgan, T. Epitaph for Kings. New York: Putnam, . p. 120. 1968
11 . Erickson, p. 144
12 . Barton, p. 21
13 . Loomis, p. 61
14 . Gaulot, P., Marie A., Fersen, H. A. v. & F. C. Hoey, A friend of the Queen (Marie Antionette—Count de Fersen) from the French of Paul Gaulot. London: W. Heinemann, p. 10. 1894
15 . Farr p. 39
16 . Loomis, p 7
17 . Perugini, M. E. The art of ballet. London: Martin Secker, 1918. P 171
18 . Seward, D. & Marie A. Marie-Antoinette. New York: St. Martin’s Press. p. 28. 1981
19 . Seward, p. 35.
20 . Younghusband, H. A. M. & Marie A., Marie-Antoinette, her early youth (1770-1774). London: Macmillan. p. 126. 1912.
21 . Reverend S. Baring Gould, M.A., 1886. The Locksmith Gamain. The Gentleman’s Magazine, Volume CCLX, January to June. p. 365
22 . Lever, E. & Marie-Antoinette, 1991. Marie-Antoinette. Paris: Fayard. p. 123
23 . Comtess de Boigne, Memoires (1907), p. 32.
24 . Loomis, p. 81. These words are unusually candid for Fersen and can be read in any number of ways, although the most common understanding is that Fersen’s goal here was to remain true to Marie-Antoinette. Loomis writes that these lines can be taken in many contexts but that “there are many people who believe that this woman was Marie-Antoinette.” Cleaving with the traditional understanding of their relationship we can say, without a doubt, that Fersen and Marie-Antoinette were close friends and he acted, in many ways, as her honest and trustworthy chevalier. Thoughts differ as to the actual nature of the relationships and, in the context of this book I take the path of least resistance: that Fersen and the Queen had a very real relationship that, if not sexual, was certainly amorous.
Chapter 4
25 . The Breguet archives detailing this era (known as First Era records, the Second Era coming with the addition of Gide to the organization, and the third coming in the early 1800s when Breguet was part of the watchmaking establishment) were destroyed so only a few salient facts remain: The 160 was commission by an “officer of the Queen’s Guard” and Axel Fersen was in Paris during this period, probably in 1783. As we shall see, it is easy to connect the dots and surmise that Fersen was the mysterious officer. We can assume the order came in the form of a letter from the New World if we take this line of reasoning.
We do know that Axel Fersen was in Paris in June, 1783, and returned to Sweden in September. Two questions remain: did he visit Breguet at his shop and would he be able to pay for the watch? He owned a number of Breguet pieces and so the opportunity to place the commission could have happened while having another piece repaired. As for the second question, we know that Breguet, much to his business-partner’s chagrin, was free with credit and Fersen was far from a dissipated noble.
There is also some belief that the captain of the queen’s guard, Monsieur de la Croizette, ordered the watch for Marie-Antoinette on behalf of an admirer or, slightly more likely, the king himself. The commission would have come just before the Affair of the Necklace in 1784, the swindle that convinced Boehmer and Bassenge to send a 2,000,000 livres necklace, sight unseen, in the care of the Cardinal de Rohan. Rohan was conned by a Jeanne de la Motte and the necklace ended up sold for its jewels in England and the Queen disgraced. If the watch was commissioned by the king, the expectation would have been that Breguet would have stopped work immediately after the Affair of the Necklace. Instead, he soldiered on, pointing to an outside actor who, up until a time, maintained contact with the watchmaker and convinced him to continue the job even long after its
intended was dead.
The final, least romantic, theory is that the watch “became” the Marie-Antoinette later on in its life, adopting a royal moniker as a marketing ploy to snag wistful royalists. While Breguet was an excellent marketer, he was far from mercenary.
In the end, the story of Fersen makes the most sense in the context of the day and is, in the end, the most heartbreaking.
26 . Salomons, p. 34
27 . Farr, p. 95
28 . Wood, E. J. [. o. c. Curiosities of clocks and watches, from the earliest times.. London: R. Bentley, 1866.. p. 3.
29 . Milham, p 55.
30 . Ekirch, A. R. At Day’s Close: Night In Times Past. New York: Norton, 2005. 2005. p. 67
31 . Milham, W. I. Time And Timekeepers: Including the History, Construction, Care, and Accuracy Of Clocks and Watches. NewYork: Macmillan, 1947. p. 1
32 . Wood, E. J., Curiosities Of Clocks and Watches, From The Earliest Times.. London: R. Bentley, 1866. 1866. Print.
33 . Landes, p. 248
34 . Landes, p. 259
35 . Landes, p. 240
36 . Landes, p. 263
37 . Herries, 30 August 1857. Accounts and Papers 23: Trade of Various Countries: Switzerland. Parliamentary Papers 1857-58 vol. 55
Papers, 1857-8, vol. 55, p. 49.
38 . Salomons, p 9.
39 . Levy, J. Really Useful: The Origins Of Everyday Things /. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2002. p.101.
40 . Landes, p. 264
41 . Landes, p. 236
42 . Landes, p. 262
Chapter 5
43 . Withrow, W.H. “Protestant Memories of Neuchâtel and Morat.” Methodist Magazine 37 (1983) p. 17.
44 . Foucaud, E. & Frost, J. The book of illustrious mechanics of Europe and America.. Aberdeen: T&T Clark, 1848. Print. p. 70.
45 . Landes, p. 253
46 . Breguet’s early apprenticeship records have been destroyed although it is believed he worked with Lépine, Berthoud, and a even John Arnold in England. In fact, some Breguet watches bear such a striking resemblance to watches made by these manufacturers that it is clear that they were “master” projects built to exacting standards and designed as a final exam of sorts in order to pass to the next level in the guild.
47 . Salomons, p 12
48 . Foucaud, p. 71
49 . Britten, F. J. Watch & Clock Makers’ Handbook, Dictionary and Guide.. 9th ed.. London: Spon, 1896. P.39.
50 . Breguet, p. 24
51 . Booth, M. L. New and Complete Clock and Watchmakers’ Manual .... New York: J. Wiley, 1860. 1860. p.42.
52 . Breguet p. 33
53 . Hardman, John. Louis XVI. Yale University Press, 1993... P 33
54 . Breguet, p. 35
55 . Dubois, Pierre , 1849. Histoire de l’horlogerie depuis son origine jusqu’à nos jours. Paris: ADMINISTRATION DU MOYEN AGE ET LA RENAISSANCE, p. 392.
56 . Salomons, p. 11.
57 . Salomons, p.11
58 . Coryn, M. S., Marie A. & Fersen, H. A. v. Marie-Antoinette and Axel de Fersen. London: T. Butterworth ltd., 1938. Print. p. 106
59 . Noted in Coryn: “This almanac is still preserved by the descendants of Fersen at the Chateau of Lovstad in Sweden”
60 . Loomis, p. 83
61 . Herman, E., 2006. Sex With the Queen: 900 Years Of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics /. 1st ed. New York: W. Morrow. p.303
62 . A number of conflicting reports on the theft have clouded the true chronology of events and the death of many of the major players has further confounded efforts to reconstruct the thief’s trail. However, this information – taken from police reports and interviews – is surmised to be the closest approximation of the theft available.
63 . Weigert, Gideon. “Arabs learn about Islamic culture.” Jerusalem Post 24/6 1974: B1. Print.
Chapter 3
64 . As Emmauel Breguet notes in an unpublished essay, Abraham-Louis was not “introduced” to the court but noticed, a far more important point of pride for a young watchmaker. In these years – around 1780 until 1786 – royals like Madame Elisabeth, the king’s sister as well as Prince Joseph of Monaco owned Breguet watches. Breguet’s existing ledgers feature a number of famous names and the king would be loath to travel to Paris to see a man about a watch. Hence we have this bit of horological lore.
65 . Saunier, C., Tripplin, J. J. S. & Rigg, E. S. The Watchmaker’s Hand-Book, Intended As A Workshop Companion For Those Engaged In Watchmaking And The Allied Mechanical Arts.. London: Technical Press, 1945. P.133.
66 . Macey, S. L. & Macey, S. L. Encyclopedia of time. New York: Garland Pub., 1994. P.231.
67 . Temple, R. & Temple, C. Invention and discovery [from The Temple anecdotes]. Lond.,1870. Print. p. 102.
68 . Dubois, p. 61.
69 . Ibid 72
70 . Salomons, p 72
71 . Dubois, p. 32
72 . Salomons, p. 13
73 . Foucaud, p. 71
74 . Breguet, p. 67
75 . Breguet, p. 62
76 . Again, we surmise his proximity to the Quai would have brought him here on occasion.
77 . Williams, Helen Maria. Letters Written in France. Broadview Press. p 253
78 . Saint-Amand, I. d. Marie-Antoinette and The Downfall of Royalty. [S.l.]: Hutchinson, 1892. p. 248.
79 . Ibid.
80 . Imbert d. S., Marie A. & Martin, E. G. Marie-Antoinette at the Tuileries, 1789-1791. New York: C. Scribner’s sons, 1891. Print. p. 2
81 . Imbert p. 1
82 . Farr p.148
83 . Farr, p.145.
84 . Barton, p. 112
85 . Haggard, A., Louis & Marie A., 1909. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. London: Hutchinson & co. p. 458
Chapter 10
86 . Chapter 6
Margolin, Wendy. “Ohannes Markarian, master craftsman.” Jerusalem Post 3/29 2002: 6. Print.
87 . Rosenberg
88 . Rosenberg
89 . ibid.
Chapter 7
90 . Barton, 117
91 . Loomis, p. 107
92 . Lenotre, G., Marie A. & Stawell, R. The flight of Marie-Antoinette. London: W. Heinemann, 1906. Print. p 12
93 . Elisabeth, Angoulême, M. T. C., Wormeley, K. P. & Cléry, 1902. The Life And Letters Of Madame Élisabeth De France. [Versailles ed.] Boston: Hardy, Pratt & co. p 219
94 . Barton, p. 147
95 . Barton, p.148
Chapter 12
96 . Beauchesne, A. d., Louis, Louis, Dupanloup, F. & John Boyd Thacher Collection (Library of Congress), 1871. Louis XVII, sa vie, son agonie, sa mort: captivité de la famille royale au Temple /. 8. éd., ed. Paris: Henri Plon. p.327
Chapter 13
97 . Youde, Kate. “Father time: Why George Daniels is the world’s best horologist.” The Independent 5/9 2010. Print.
98 . Daniels, George. All In Good Time: Reflections of a Watchmaker. 2006 ed. Isle of Man2006. P. 63.
99 . Daniels, p.64.
100 . Kurzweil, Allen. Grand Complication. Hyperion Books, 2002. p. 161.
101 . Barton, p. 351
102 . Skjöldebrand, A. F. Memoarer p. 102
103 . Barton, p.367
104 . Barton, p. 370
105 . Greaves, R. L., Zaller, R. & Roberts, J. T. Civilizations of the West: the human adventure. NewYork,NY: HarperCollins, 1992. P.664
106 . “The Paris Exhibition.” Fraser’s magazine for town and country 76 (1867).
107 . Heraud, John A. “A Critical Introduction to Fourier’s Theory.” Monthly Magazine 6 (1841): 261.
108 . Marine chronometer no. 2741 by Breguet et Fils. [Web Page].
Available from: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/m/marine_chronometer_no_2741_by.aspx
[accessed June 3, 2010]
109 . Heilbron, J. L., 2003. The Oxford companion to the history of modern science. Oxford: Oxford University Press.p. 8
110 . Breguet, p 284
111 . “The Lives of Three F
rench Working Men.” New Monthly Magazine 140 (1867): 335. Print.
Chapter 16
112 . Godley, Eveline. “Art, Drama, and Music.” Annual register (1905): 101. Print.
113 . Sir David Lionel Salomons (1851 – 1925). 2009. Webpage. June 18, 2010.
114 . ibid. p.3
115 . Salomons, p.4
116 . Loomis p 109
117
118 . “Rose Engine.” English mechanic and world of science 49.1259 (1889): 220. Print.
119 . Clerizo, Michael, 2010. Nicolas Hayek: Time Bandit. Wall Street Journal, June 10.
120 . 1984. Watch for Swatch! Engineer Jacques Muller Has Found a Way to Make a Quality Swiss Cheapo. People, 22 (3).
Chapter 19
121 . Kirsta, Alix. “Marie-Antoinette : The Queen, Her Watch And The Master Burglar.” The Telegraph 24/04 2009. Print.
Chapter 17
122 . Rubinstein, Danny. “Hickory, Dickory, Dock: Stolen Museum Loot Found.” Haaretz 11/11 2007. Print.
123 . Karpel, Dalia, 2004. נשר קצוץ כנפיים. Ha’aretz, 25/05. p. http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=431926&sw=%E7%E9%F0%E5%EA.
124 . Most of these quotes are taken from Dalia Karpel’s excellent biography of Diller. His immediate family would not speak to me for this book.
125 . Itim, 1981. Bank thief Diller jailed until verdict. Jerusalem Post, 26/4.
126 . Rubinstein, Danny. “Naaman Diller Is The Man Behind Israel’s Biggest Robbery.” Calcalist 29/10 2008.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
