The Gentleman Magazine Issue 20 | April 2020 | Page 13
This automaton takes flight once again in a limited series whose
centerpiece is an exquisite mineral dial made of Chinchilla
Red, a wood petrified 150 million years ago.
The silence is palpable as stunned collectors gasp in awe. Jaquet
Droz is one of the only watchmakers in the world that crafts
automatons. Quick on the heels of the onyx and meteorite
models, today it unveils the latest version of its Loving Butterfly
Automaton. This newest chapter in the company's 300-year
exploration of natural fibers showcases its watchmaking
mastery and artistry in a series strictly limited to 28 timepieces.
The animated objet d'art is inspired by a drawing titled Le
papillon conduit par l’amour (Butterfly Driven by Love), which
was sketched in 1774 by The Draughtsman, an automaton
created by Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz. Today, it is transformed
into a three-dimensional journey of ancient mineral. Set
against a backdrop of a forest of gold, the piece features a dial
made from wood petrified 140-180 million years ago called
Chinchilla Red, named after the far-eastern locale in Australia
where it is found.
This mineral has a remarkable history. When dinosaurs ruled
the Earth 150 million years ago and birds began to hatch, the
first flower bloomed. That is also when Chinchilla Red came
to be. It was formed by fir trees covered in volcanic ash that
were swept away by lava. The product is an exceedingly rare
and dense mineral. It takes countless hours of manual work
just to make the surface smooth.
The figures are surrounded by a gold backdrop entirely crafted
by hand. Each tree spans a mere 0.2 mm – its slender grooves
carved one by one using purpose-designed tools– and is
individually placed in its very own setting.
The Chinchilla Red limited series in petrified wood is a dance
of chromatic unison. The autumnal hues of the stone blend
with the warmth of the 18-carat red gold. Each of these one-
of-a-kind timepieces has a slightly different mineral dial, a full
glimpse into the exquisite workmanship of the Jaquet Droz
Ateliers d’Art and the art of astonishment created in 1738.
Part of the proceeds from the sales of the Loving Butterfly
Automaton will go towards reforestation.
Deeply affected by global deforestation and in particular
by the fires that have devastated Australia in recent months,
Jaquet Droz has announced that part of the sales from the
Loving Butterfly Chinchilla Red automaton will be donated to
associations dedicated to reforestation and the preservation of
endemic species such as “Plant a Tree for Me” or “One Tree
Planted”. The timepiece presented today was made possible
thanks to Australian wood petrified 150 million years ago.
Jaquet Droz therefore affirms its commitment to give back what
the nature is offering us, carried out within an eco-responsible,
ethical and sharing framework, as represented by the Loving
Butterfly Automaton Chinchilla Red’s, a true ode to love.
This new rendition magnifies the Cherub and the Butterfly,
a classic metaphor for labors of love. The chariot symbolizes
victory and the butterfly represents Cupid. Like the chariot,
the butterfly comprises several dozen stationary and moving
appliqués hand-etched by Jaquet Droz artisan jewelers. The
scene unfolds on a veritable stage of nature with a set that
actually rises up all around the dial. Multiple levels lend
the piece a unique depth of perspective that invites the gaze
to wander, drift and stray. A striking realism takes shape,
proliferating with details that bring the scene to life.
The artful watch complication breathes life into an animated
nature scene. The butterfly’s wings flutter in time, placed close
against the sapphire crystal to make it seem like the butterfly is
about to break free and fly out of the scenery. Even the wheels
on the chariot turn, but not all of the spokes rotate, which
creates an optical illusion that Pierre Jaquet-Droz began using
nearly three centuries ago.
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