Editor's Picks
Jaquet Droz — The Master Storyteller
Editor's Picks
Jaquet Droz — The Master Storyteller
There is a manufacture though that takes this storytelling very much to heart, whereby the watches have become the physical embodiment of these fables and modern interpretation of the brand’s roots, not to mention beautiful pieces of art and rime examples of Swiss craftsmanship at its finest; that brand is Jaquet Droz.
Pierre Jaquet-Droz was born in 1721 in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, in the very horological heart of Switzerland. He would be inevitably influenced by his peers and relatives to embark on a career in watchmaking, or rather, clock making. He opened his first workshop in 1738, where, as he gained skill and experience, his clocks grew in complexity and beauty, and he started incorporating musical elements and automata into his creations, much to the delight of his wealthy clientele.
His devotion to his craft meant that he married relatively late, for that time period, in 1750, to Marianne Sandoz. His daughter, Julie, would be born in 1751, and his son, Henri-Louis, in 1752. Unfortunately, tragedy befell them and he would lose his wife and daughter in 1755, leading him to concentrate even more on his work for the rest of his life. Later on, Henri-Louis would join his father as a watch, clock and automaton maker, along with Jean-Frédéric Leschot, who was the neighbor’s son but who Jaquet-Droz would take on as his own.
It’s in 2000 that the Swatch Group acquired the brand, and set out to restore it to its former glory. The historical prominence of Jaquet Droz has given today’s artisans much inspiration, as we’ve seen in recent years, with a number of spectacular timepieces that merged the brand’s legacy in timepieces and in automata, such as the Charming Bird, the Bird Repeater, and the Lady 8 Flower. This year, Jaquet Droz brings to life a story that has an unusual origin, for it’s the drawings made by one of the incredibly complex automatons that piqued the watchmaker’s interest. As you may recall, one of the technical accomplishments that truly amazed onlookers, both then and now, are the automata that seem to have a life of their own, skillfully drawing, with pen on paper, highly intricate designs. One of these, made by one of Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz’s creations, is of a cherub drawn on a cart, pulled by a giant butterfly.
The mechanical tour-de-force occurs when you activate the pusher within the winding crown, as the scene comes to life, with the butterfly quickly flapping its wings while the cart’s wheels turn in a convincing trompe-l’oeil that make it look as though it’s moving forward. It would take a considerable effort to avoid smiling at the animation, as unusual and unexpected as it is beautiful.
The figure of eight shape of the subdials is accentuated by a diamond-set red gold border, exceeded in brilliance only by the diamond-set case. The blued hands are a hint at the watchmaking traditions contained within, although there is a very modern touch, as the tourbillon is equipped with a silicon balance spring and pallet horns, giving the watch improved resistance to shock and to magnetism, leading to better precision over its seven-day power reserve.
Fashion Stylist: Marie Lee
Fashion Assistants: Sebelle Sharmaine Ho & Carissa Marie Lim
Makeup: Ginger Lynette using NARS Cosmetics
Hairstyle: Kenneth Ong using Kevin Murphy
Model: Anna Z / AVE