Lady 8 Flower
An expression of refined femininity enhanced by the astounding automaton and the virtuosity of the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'Art.
A timepiece imbued with the spirit of the jeweler's craft, minimalist and richly ornate by turns, the Lady 8 and its distinctive undulating silhouette have made their mark as touchstones of femininity, elegance and watchmaking refinement. In the workshops at La Chaux-de-Fonds, the desire to create the most extraordinary timepieces sets the bar high, but this year the brand known by its twin stars has reached a pinnacle of achievement: it has bestowed the Lady 8 with a breathtaking mechanical animation in the form of a blossoming lotus flower.
The Lady 8 Flower, a fusion of all the arts and crafts practiced by Jaquet Droz, is made up of two superimposed circles creating a figure of eight, an emblematic number for the brand and a symbol of harmony, perfection and infinity. The lower circle features a delicate butterfly, its wings outspread. Two versions are available: one with the butterfly's wings painted and engraved in translucent red enamel on a guilloché background; the other, incorporating jewels, features a butterfly set with blue sapphires and portrayed against snow-set diamonds. The upper circle reveals a lotus flower under a sapphire crystal dome. Representing serenity and poetry, and sacred to many Asian cultures, the flower has been crafted with the utmost care. Each petal is individually enameled or engraved to give its back a perfect satin finish.
As a mysterious bud or fully opened jewel-like bloom, this animation is not simply a pure vision of naturalistic and poetic beauty. By pressing a push-button the lotus flower opens, revealing its diamond heart. For Jaquet Droz, the timepiece also presented a new technical challenge: accommodating the two mechanisms, the watch's and the automaton's - within a 35 mm diameter case, while ensuring one never interferes with the other. The case was fashioned with particularly meticulous workmanship, especially when setting the brilliant or baguette-cut diamonds adorning each piece.
The Lady 8 Flower comes in two limited edition versions, comprising 28 pieces for the red gold model and just eight pieces for the white gold model. In both, Jaquet Droz shares a taste for secrets with its clients - the secret of its peerless expertise ever preserved and adapted to the times, and that of a delicate flower that will burst into bloom at any moment.
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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!”
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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.
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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.
