The inspiration for this Jaquet Droz watch came from a sketch made by Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz (Pierre’s son), for an automaton of a cherub on a chariot drawn by a butterfly. From 1768 to 1774, Pierre and Henri-Louis created some extraordinary automata, such as The Writer (a boy who dips a pen into an inkwell and…
Back in the 18th century, Pierre Jaquet-Droz became famous in the royal and imperial courts of Europe and far beyond for his amazing automatons. The Writer, for example, was a seated boy who could actually dip a real quill into real ink and write something on a real piece of paper. The Charming Bird by…
Classic Jaquet Droz: the 8 symbology in the shape of the case, and the automation that enables a lotus flower in the top part of the case to open and close at the push of a button, revealing a diamond at the centre. While the Lady 8 series by Jaquet Droz (shown at right in…
Who is going to buy a watch costing 280,000 Swiss francs with a depiction of an oil rig on the dial? People who measure time not in hours and minutes, but in barrels. Like the Ulysse Nardin Hourstriker Oil Pump , this piece is specifically designed for the markets of Russia, the Middle East and…
Rather like the goat watches released earlier this year, this piece is aimed at a specific market, the oil barons of Russia, the United States and the Middle East. The dial is the inky black of crude oil, and the case and oil pumps are in gold or platinum. Strikes oil… and the hours The…
This platinum, 30-piece limited-edition watch by Ulysse Nardin combines two challenging complications, the minute repeater with Westminster chimes, and the tourbillon. In addition, the four figures on the dial, called Jaquemarts, are animated, moving their arms or trunk while the watch is chiming. The word Jaquemarts means “striking men” not in the sense of attractive…