The brand and its local retail partners welcomed special guests to discover the astonishing world of Jaquet Droz and its novelties unveiled during Baselworld 2017 as well as other iconic creations. As Pierre Jaquet-Droz did before, lot of the artists’ inspiration continue to come from the wonderful sceneries surrounding us that we can admire in the Ateliers d’Art timepieces for instance, very exclusive models decorated by hand and produced in very limited edition.
Jaquet Droz pieces not only tell time, but also a story, they transmit an emotion like with its automaton models for instance whose goal is to astonish with an animated scene. The Charming Bird automaton which was presented at the event celebrates the brand's DNA by paying homage to the historic codes of automata and miniaturization, being also the first wristwatch equipped with a singing bird animation. By marrying these to the aesthetic of the Ateliers d’Art, the timepiece is a tribute to the durability of the brand's exceptional expertise.
The event was also marked by a workshop of miniature painting during which the guests realized their own Jaquet Droz dial with the help of a master painter coming from Jaquet Droz Ateliers d’Art for the occasion. This impressive work requires a lot of dexterity and precision, some of the brushes that Jaquet Droz artist is using could be as thin as one single hair for the details of the fur of an animal or pupil of an eye as an example.
“Some watches tell time, some tell a story”
A warmed up stage, a drum kit, a few guitars and a harmonica: “It’s only rock’n’roll!” Today, Jaquet Droz unveils the first out of the 23 unique timepieces to retrace the world of the Rolling Stones through motion. Beside the arm of a record player that hovers over a platinum album replica (the power reserve), a scene depicts their signature instruments in miniature paintings and gold thread. The external disc rotates up to 8 consecutive times for 30 seconds and is adorned with the albums that the collector will choose for his unique timepiece. At 9 o'clock, the iconic tongue beats rhythmically, from left to right and from top to bottom. “And I like it!”
After three years of work, Jaquet Droz and John Howe have developed an Art Watch dedicated to emotion, wonder and fantasy. Draped in gold and rare stones, their dragon has a record 9 distinct animations. Inside a 43 mm case, the piece is entirely handmade and can be customized almost without limit by the client. Thanks to a Studio in the heart of the Jaquet Droz head quarter, clients will be offered an immersive phygital experience that will allow them to witness the live creation of their timepieces. There is no series to be announced, only unique pieces.
The “Effinger” clock dated from 1783 and signed Jaquet-Droz, has been sold at CHF 256,000.-, which is more than three times the starting bid of CHF 70,000.-, during the Koller auction on March the 31st 2022.