The Year of the Rooster in China has prompted more than one luxury watchmaker to feature the bird on its 2017 timepieces.
Jaquet Droz is the latest manufacturer to unveil a limited edition range, with four models created in collaboration with the Ateliers d’Art.
Two of the models pay tribute to miniature painting, a skill passed down from the Enlightenment masters, used to create two Grand Feu enamel dials which are housed in 39mm red gold cases and set with diamonds for the 35 mm model.
The rooster, which is accompanied by peonies to represent springtime renewal, is depicted on the underside of the hand-engraved oscillating weight in a watercolor style to echo Chinese calligraphy masterpieces.
Each model is unique, depicting true miniature paintings that reflect the artist’s skilled hand.
To the left of the dial, bamboo shoots represent yet another promise of happiness, that of a year full of youth, rectitude and resilience in the face of adversity.
A miniature sculpture technique was used for the other two models.
Limited to 28 pieces, the first Petite Heure Minute Rooster combines volumes of red gold and its unique light with a dial inlaid with jadeite and mother-of-pearl, which are hand-engraved in the Jaquet Droz workshops.
This miniature masterpiece celebrates one of the most symbolic materials in Asia: jade, the symbol of luck and health, which is given as a gift to mark life’s most important moments.
The dial is then patinated and hand-painted in monochromatic shades that enhance each relief.
Jaquet Droz has also created a limited edition of eight entirely hand-painted pieces illuminated by rooster feathers.
These realistic miniature paintings complement the radiance of the diamonds featured on the pieces.
The soft sun rising in the mist, the sloping mountainside and delicate peony petals rendered in a black and white palette are further enhanced by the precious stones.
The art is repeated again on the oscillating weight, which is crafted in gold, engraved, patinated and decorated in jadeite.
