Jaquet Droz celebrates Chinese New Year
Jaquet Droz honours its centuries-old history with the Middle Kingdom, with a stylish nature-inspired timepiece dedicated to the Chinese Year of the Dog
As a pioneering designer in Swiss Haute Horlogerie, Jaquet Droz forged very special ties with 18th century China, then under the reign of Emperor Qianlong. His fascination with the Middle Kingdom left its mark on the brand. The brand’s auspicious new timepieces: the Petite Heure Minute Dog and the Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog portray the eleventh animal in the Chinese Zodiac, in decorative detail inspired by ancient Chinese arts.
The dog symbolises passion, tradition, and honesty. Beyond its friendly, lively character lies a playful dreamer. Inspired by this character from the Chinese Zodiac, the two miniature paintings with nature-inspired scenes are presented in a red gold case set with diamonds, 35 mm in diameter, and a red gold case without diamonds, 39 mm in diameter. The first is a celebration of feminine beauty, showing the legendary Pekingese playing with a butterfly on a background of peonies – the “Queen of flowers” – in a fusion of Chinese and Western styles. Every bit as imperial, the second proudly depicts the friendly canine in a nature-inspired landscape of rocks and plants, ensuring that this timepiece can grace a female or male wrist with equal sophistication.
The Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog, which is also limited to 28 models, conveys a more stylised aesthetic, playing on contrasts between colours and materials. For example, for the disk on the dial, the brand selected Mexico’s “Sonora Sunrise” variety of cuprite, a copper oxide-rich mineral. Its red hues reference Chinese good fortune, weddings, and the Spring Festival, as the Chinese New Year is known, whilst the decorative gold details, reminiscent of billowing clouds and traditional home decorations, pay tribute to the art of bas-relief openwork.
With exceptional finesse, the first version of the Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog contrasts a red gold case with yellow gold engraving, continuing on with an onyx centre, atop which are hands matching the case. The white gold piece is embellished with a white mother-of-pearl centre and enhanced with the same engraved reliefs. This attention to detail is carried right through to the oscillating weight; even this element celebrates the Asian legend on a gold and cuprite background and works the automatic mechanism of the two models.
