Jaquet Droz has unveiled what is the culmination of three years of work with a custom-made creation.
The name John Howe is not the most well-known, but most are familiar with his universe and designs as he was the artistic designer for Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.
The Swiss watch brand explained how it and Mr Howe have a lot in common, commenting on mainly the ability to create extraordinary worlds, to give life to wonderful things and emotions, to create animations that speak to the heart and soul.
Together, Jaquet Droz and John Howe worked as they have always done – with paper, pencil, and lots of ideas.
This resulted in a watchmaking collaboration centred on a dragon.
Jaquet Droz wanted this Dragon to be alive and beyond that, with a total of 9 animations, it is probably one of the most complex modern automaton watches ever designed.
The sequence that animates it is random, in order to preserve all its magic and mystery.
The sacred animal’s spine undulates like its tail; its eye and jaw open and close; its tongue moves; its crest rises and falls; its claws grasp a continuously rotating stone.
In accordance with the new Jaquet Droz Vision 8.0, the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds now only produce unique orders for clients who are themselves unique.
The 43 mm case is finished in the gold of your choice, and Jaquet Droz is already working on the opportunity of using other materials, such as sapphire. The case can either be engraved or left blank.
The solid dial can be fully customized, engraved or replaced by a medallion in the stone of your choice while the Dragon, also made of gold and entirely engraved by hand, can have its scales more or less accentuated.
In addition, Jaquet Droz is currently finalizing a brand new phygital solution, installed right in the heart of its headquarters.
Open and connected, it will allow clients to see their own Dragon Automatons being created.
