On the 4th of May 2017, Jaquet Droz has been invited by Rivoli and the Magazine Esquire Middle East to co-host its famed watch collector's dinner called Gentlemen’s Evening at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
This exclusive dinner with the UAE capital's most clued-in watch collectors started with a welcome speech from Esquire's editor in chief Jeremy Lawrence.
After an informative live Q&A with Marc Aellen, Vice President and Head of International Sales at Jaquet Droz, the guests were astonished by a miniature painting workshop. One of the brand’s enamel painting artists traveled from Switzerland to Abu Dhabi to demonstrate the beauty of the Jaquet Droz dials as well as to showcase the richness of the brand collection. Following the artisan advise, the delighted guests got a chance to become a Jaquet Droz artist for the occasion painting their own dial which their took home with them afterward.
The evening saw a healthy contingent from the Arab Watch Guide, watch collectors society and its head Hassan Akhras.
“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.