Jaquet Droz’s Bird Repeater beguiles us again
The maison of Jaquet Droz presents a new version of its watchmaking treasure – the Bird Repeater Fall of the Rhine automaton watch – that succeeds in beguiling our senses
Launched in 2012, the Bird Repeater is a unique watch that epitomises the greatest watchmaking expertise of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Beyond exceptional technical performance, it embodies the continuity of curiosity, aesthetics and creativity of the brand known by its twin stars since the Age of Enlightenment.
The watch is unlike any other. With this watch, time is different: it dives into the magic of nature and summons mechanical expertise that the passage of centuries has only refined. Since its inception, at the heart of the 18th century, Jaquet Droz has always embraced the modernity of its time, shocking the European royal courts with its android automatons and singing birds of astounding realism. Launched in 2012, the Bird Repeater fits in perfectly with this philosophy
At the heart of an 18-karat red gold case is a painting reminiscent of the boards used by naturalists in the study of birds long ago. Artists of the Age of Enlightenment were fascinated by these symbolic creatures of freedom. All of the talents of the Atelier d’Art’s artists are needed to bring these black redstarts to life – true miniature sculptures rising up from the engraved hand-painted white mother-of-pearl background. The grand spectacle of the Rhine Falls, among the largest in Europe, adds to the magic of the Bird Repeater.
The richness of details and the meticulousness of a brushstroke are also a nod to the love Pierre Jaquet-Droz never ceased to have for the landscapes of his native Switzerland. But the Bird Repeater Fall of the Rhine is not a painting: it’s a play come to life by no fewer than eight different animations. A technical challenge perfectly met by watchmaking craftsmen who have envisioned the flow of water, the unfurling of feathers, the pair of redstarts feeding their chicks, the egg hatching… An enchanting vision that awakens the wonder of a child, the spirit of a poet and rigour of a scientist before the enchantment of life in all who lay their eyes upon it. On the case back, the movement – visible through the sapphire crystal – offers a hypnotic view in turn and enables you to grasp all the complexity required for the functioning of the timepiece.
The Bird Repeater is also equipped with a minute repeater, which enables the hour to be marked with a chime through a push-piece, arousing not only the eye but the ear in order to fully appreciate what is no doubt one of the greatest masterpieces in watchmaking today. With a 48-hour power reserve, this new version of the Bird Repeater is part of a numerus clausus limited edition of eight pieces, a number that connoisseurs will recognise as one of the great symbols of the legend that Jaquet Droz has been writing for over two hundred years.
