Swiss luxury watch maker Jaquet Droz presents The Butterfly Journey, homage to beauty and nature in two series of eight timepieces. Reflecting the Atelier d’Art’s unique expertise, twin sets of Petite Heure Minute models are dedicated to the elegance of the butterfly, that fragile, romantic creature embodying the beauty of time.
An angel passes, drawn along by a butterfly, and time seems to hold its breath in a moment of pure poetry. This motif, discovered in an old book devoted to Jaquet Droz, has been depicted just once before, in the Age of Enlightenment, by one of the legendary automata created by Pierre Jaquet Droz. In 2013, it was given pride of place on “The Loving Butterfly” a watch paying tribute to putti -sculptures of children used to decorate some of Italian architecture’s most beautiful buildings as well as the cultural treasures of Renaissance and Baroque Europe.
This year, the butterfly returns to the center of the watchmaking stage, taking a form that is unprecedented and spectacular in equal measure: two sets of Petite Heure Minute models comprising eight pieces each features eight scenes describing a butterfly’s flight, thus reviving the brand’s passion for 18th century naturalism.
Following this narrative thread – the beauty of nature, its fragility and the transitory quality of each moment – the Jaquet Droz artisans dreamt up two complementary stories.
Within a 43 mm-diameter red gold case, on the lower part of the dial, a spray of feijoa flowers features a butterfly placed at random and sculpted by hand in a red gold to contrast with its intensely blue champlevé wings.
This poetically tropical scene echoes the one portrayed in a white gold case of the same size but set with 264 diamonds extending right up to the lugs.
Here, we have an invitation to journey through Asia, where a butterfly in white gold flutters between pale pink peonies, the flower symbolizing love. The relief of the butterflies, their champlevé enameled wings, the fine patina on their slender bodies, the striking colors of the floral decor – every minute detail contributes to the arresting beauty of the scene.
A decorative challenge achieved through a combination of the brand’s expertise and the virtuosity of the craftsman’s hand, the Butterfly Journey timepieces are also a testament to the attention Jaquet Droz never fails to pay to the splendor inherent in the most fleeting instants and the fugitive magic of nature, its creatures and plants.
Petite Heure Minute Butterfly Journey (White Gold, Diamond Set)
Les Ateliers D’art Collection
Petite Heure Minute Butterfly Journey (White Gold, Diamond Set)
Series of 8 pieces with the butterfly in 8 different positions
References: J005034- 265/266/267/268/269/270/271/272
Numerus Clausus: 8
Movement
Jaquet Droz 2653, self-winding mechanical movement, double barrel, 22-carat white gold oscillating weight hand-engraved in bas-relief with butterfly motif
Indications: Off-centered hours and minutes
Jewelling: 28 jewels
Power reserve: 68 hours
Frequency: 28,800 v.p.h.
Case
18-carat white gold, set with 264 diamonds (1.99 carats)
Diameter 43 mm
Height 11.48 mm
Individual limited serial number engraved on the case-back
Water Resistance: To 3 bar (30 meters)
Dial
Ivory Grand Feu enamel with painting on enamel
22-carat white gold butterfly applique with hand-engraved and hand-patinated champlevé enamel. Series of 8 pieces with the butterfly in 8 different positions
Hands: Blued steel
Strap
Rolled-edge hand-made dark blue alligator leather strap
Buckle: 18-carat white gold ardillon buckle
Total Carat Weight / Diamonds / Colored Gemstones
IF to VVSI, Full Cut, D to G
Total carat weight: 1.99 carats
Petite Heure Minute Butterfly Journey (Red Gold)
Les Ateliers D’art Collection
Petite Heure Minute Butterfly Journey (Red Gold)
Numerus Clausus: 8
Series of 8 pieces with the butterfly in 8 different positions
References: J005033-283/284/285/286/287/288/289/290
Movement
Jaquet Droz 2653, self-winding mechanical movement, double barrel, 22-carat red gold oscillating weight hand-engraved in bas-relief with butterfly motif
Indications: Off-centered hours and minutes
Jewelling: 28 jewels
Power reserve: 68 hours
Frequency: 28,800 v.p.h.
Case
18-carat red gold
Diameter 43 mm
Height 11.48 mm
Individual limited serial number engraved on the case-back
Water Resistance: To 3 bar (30 meters)
Dial
Ivory Grand Feu enamel with painting on enamel
22-carat red gold butterfly applique with hand-engraved and hand-patinated champlevé enamel Series of 8 pieces with the butterfly in 8 different positions
Hands: 18-carat red gold
Strap
Rolled-edge hand-made black alligator leather strap
Buckle: 18-carat red gold ardillon buckle
