On September 29., Jaquet Droz presented the new Loving Butterfly Automaton and the Charming Bird in Moscow Tourbillon Boutique, in Russia.
Stefan Peter, CEO of Swatch Group Russia, welcomed the VIP guests, all lovers of sophisticated mechanics. The editor-in-chief of Robb Report Russia and watch expert Yury Khnychkin told about the history of automata. Pierre Jaquet-Droz was best known for the many ingenious and mysterious automata he created. After captivating the great and good of his time, he is now deemed to be one of the forefathers of mechanical calculation. Today, Jaquet Droz watchmakers work to breathe life into these masterpieces of precision mechanics to impress and make dream all the admirers. The emotion remains the same as the 18th Century.
The brand’s enamel painting artist travelled from Switzerland to Russia 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 an artist for the occasion painting their own dial which their took home with them afterward.
“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.