Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 279,898 playable programmes from the BBC

The Incredible Story of Marie Antoinette's Watch with Nicholas Parsons

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Nicholas Parsons, Just a Minute host and stalwart of the entertainment world, explores his life-long enthusiasm for clocks when he goes in search of the most valuable and famous watch in the world.

The so-called Marie Antoinette, once the target of one of the biggest museum heists in history, was the masterpiece made by 18th-century genius Nicholas Breguet for that doomed queen.

Tracing the enthralling story of Breguet's rise to fame, Parsons visits Paris and Versailles, and the vaults of today's multimillion-pound Breguet business. Exploring the innovative and dazzling work of the master watchmaker, Parsons unravels the mystery behind the creation of his most precious and most brilliant work.

Parsons then heads to Israel to discover how, in the 1980s, the world's most expensive watch was stolen in a daring heist and went missing for over 20 years.

Revealing a little-known side of one of our favourite TV and radio hosts, the film offers a glimpse into Parsons's own private clock collection while also telling an enthralling tale of scientific invention, doomed decadence and daring robbery. Show less

Contributors

Production Company:
IWC Media
Executive Producer:
Franny Moyle
Participant:
Ken Kessler
Participant:
Emmanuel Breguet
Participant:
Andrew Hussey
Participant:
Dalia Karpel
Participant:
Zion Jacobov

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More