LADY 8 FLOWER
EXPERIENCE HARMONY
The Lady 8 Flower has been reborn to pay homage to fine jewelry. This timepiece marries the emblematic esthetics and mechanics of the JaquetDroz brand, and is an ode to poetry and femininity.
Two springs agoJaquetDrozconceivedits first creation for ladies in the Automata collection—the Lady 8 Flower.A symbol of watchmaking expertise, this fascinating piece encases an enamel butterfly that illustrates the exceptionalornamental skill which the brand has been cultivating since its foundation in the 18th century. Today’s new Lady 8 Flower, embellished with even more jewels, is a mechanical chef-d’œuvre that leaves both mind and soul spellbound, caught up in the whirling lotus flower and the enchanting nirvana portrayed on the dial. Assembled by hand in the JaquetDroz workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, this exclusive timepiece epitomizes the artistry for which the brand is known.
Under the sapphire crystal dome, the precious, sculpted lotus flower delicately comes to life through a stunningly virtuosic mechanism: with the gentle press of a pusher on the watch’s side, the flower blooms and closes in a splendid, serene display, while, at its center, a briolette arises to join the dancing petals on their mother-of-pearl stage. Gentleness and poetry emanate from the curves of the Lady 8 Flower—whose two joineddials form a figure eight, the symbol of infinity andsplendor in Asian cultures—and from the oscillating weight, crafted in an elegant fan shape.
The Lady 8 Flower also embodies technical sophistication, the counterpart to the simplicity of the naturalist elements. With a 38-hour power reserve and miniaturized mechanisms, it is the worthy heir toJaquetDroz’s automata. The culmination of a long quest for perfection, the two independent mechanical movementsdance harmoniously: the hour and minute hands mark the tempo, while, on another stage, the floral automaton springs to life with its curved and polished silhouette whenever the spirit moves the wearer.
On the dial, the blue steel hands advance in a gesture perfectly woven into the rounded contours of their setting.Arrayed with a blue sapphire-adorned rehaut and a deployment clasp set with diamonds, this jewel also reveals its inner workings through the sapphire crystal on the back, for everlasting magic.
An experience of the most captivating kind, the Lady 8 Flower tells the story of a dance, a performance, a secret where art, travel, and dreams converge. The essence of luxury, this exclusive timepiece is offered this year in white gold and red gold, enhanced by a limited edition of eight pieces…eight delights…eight infinities still to write…
TROPICAL BIRD REPEATER
A JOURNEY TO PARADISE
As part of its line of exceptional automaton watches presented since 2012, JaquetDroz unveils a new model inspired by a tropical landscape. Celebrating the beauty of nature, its animated birds and other creatures push the boundaries ever further in the art of astonishment.
A rendez-vouswith emotion: like Gauguin’s exotic paintings, this is an invitation to faraway places and delights for the senses. The Tropical Bird Repeater watch – the only one of its kind in the world – brings together all the watchmaking and decorative expertise of the brand known by its two stars. A piece destined for discerning collectors, the Tropical Bird Repeater is part of a long history at JaquetDroz, honoring the Enlightenment-era passion for nature and animals of founder Pierre Jaquet-Droz. Automatons, along with the Ateliers d’Art, represent two of the eight codes of the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture, hand-decorated here by engravers and miniaturist painters. These codes are indispensable to the creation of this scene with its flamboyant colors that emerge like a lush oasis on a mother-of-pearl dial, itself enclosed in a red gold case adorned on the sides of its lugs and on the middle band with an animal motif hand-engraved by the brand’s craftsmen.
A true source of life, the waterfall offers serenity to the blooming tropical flora and fauna. At the heart of this Garden of Eden, its water flows eternally in perfect realistic fashion. In the center, a hummingbird hand-carved and hand-engraved by the Maison’s artists moves towards a shrub of bright orange birds of paradise. A one-of-a-kind animation in watchmaking history, its wings beat up to forty times a second, adding incredible realism to the scene. To the right, a peacock with intense blue feathers veritably opens and closes its tail, while a toucan emerges from the palm leaves at 3 o’clock to open its beak. The dancing flight of three elegant dragonflies, located at 9 o’clock, adds to the magic by day or by night as their tiny SuperLuminova®-coated wings glow in the dark. In all, seven animations that may exceed twelve seconds allow for up to 4 different scenarios, all the more striking as they contrast with the suspended background of the scene.
Alongside this prowess comes a grand horological complication, the minute repeater, which enables the marking on demand of the hours, quarter hours and minutes via the vibration of cathedral gongs struck by hammers inside the case. A push-piece activates this complex mechanism, which to this day remains the privilege of a handful of brands and collectors who will surely appreciate the innovations of the new JaquetDroz RMA89 movement. The latter is equipped with a virtually silent wheel regulator, as the regulation of the minute repeater’s speed is operated by the friction between small outer spring blades. New rack springs, an extended pause between the quarter hours and minutes, and the striking of the quarter hours at major third (spanning four semitones) are also part of the complication’s innovations. The power reserve has been increased to 60 hours with an oscillating frequency of 3 Hz.
This technical mastery – which can be seen on the pared-down case back, engraved simply with the NumerusClausus – serves to create the feast for the eyes that is the Tropical Bird Repeater. An esthete’s watch limited to 8 unique pieces – the Maison’s tutelary number –, it plays on the contrasts between the exuberant dial and the green alligator strap, as well as the onyx dial displaying hours and minutes, magnified by the smooth reflections of the red gold case. The aesthetics render the lively paradise by JaquetDroz all the more striking: an incredible journey and a new chapter in the history of JaquetDroz are now in the hands of the wearer.
