Swiss luxury watch brand Jaquet Droz celebrates the Chinese New Year with four exceptional models based on the emblematic Petite Heure Minute watch. As the Chinese calendar turns to the New Year under the sign of the Fire Monkey, Jaquet Droz celebrates the historic ties between China and the Swiss watch brand.
The monkey is ubiquitous in Chinese culture and astrology, symbolizing intelligence and long life. Jaquet Droz was among the first to discover the Middle Kingdom in the 18th century and was allowed to present his creations to courtiers in the very heart of the Forbidden City.
The historic timepieces exhibited there today bear witness to the constancy of those bonds that connect the watchmaking brand to this vast country, now on the cusp of its next Year of the Monkey. This prospect inspired the firm’s artisans to design two new Petite Heure Minute models, each available in two versions.
For the adornment of these timepieces, Jaquet Droz looked to the legend of Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. Sun Wukong features prominently in Chinese classical literature and remains to this day one of the most enduring characters in the culture’s folklore.
For many years, the brand’s Ateliers d’Art have excelled in the realm of figurative art on watch dials, with finely drawn lines, a subtlety that allows colors to come vividly alive on the “white canvas” of ivory Grand Feu enamel, and an off-centered hours-and-minutes dial at 12 o’clock that frees up the surface. The Petite Heure Minute Monkey depicts the animal leaping onto a branch to pick a peach, in an image suffused with poetry despite being so realistic it creates an almost palpable sense of movement. The artists have employed all of the watchmaking brand’s unique expertise to portray this symbol of wisdom and long life in the form of an Asian monkey—the emblematic species on that continent.
These meticulously painted masterpieces are presented in red gold cases measuring either 35 or 39 mm in diameter, with the smaller version boasting a setting of brilliant-cut diamonds.
The legend of the Monkey King is also celebrated on the back by the subtle interplay created between solid forms and empty spaces, as the oscillating weight drives the self-winding mechanism of these two models.
The Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey is adorned with a sophisticated medley of lacquer and mother-of-pearl that discloses a monkey, sculpted in gold, perched on the branch of a peach tree against a background of delicate foliage. This exquisitely fine artwork has been created in two versions.
One is enclosed in a red gold case and the other in a jewel-like white gold case that sparkles daintily with the brilliance of its myriad of inset diamonds.
The oscillating weight, designed to match, marries gold that is first engraved then patinated, with black onyx. Jaquet Droz highly prizes this onyx for its deep, brilliant blackness, embodying all the mystery and enchantment of dark colors that, yet, radiate light—and for its seductive elegance that perfectly reflects the allure of Jaquet Droz watches. Each model is covered in a domed sapphire crystal, especially designed to accommodate this three-dimensional tableau.
Like the two versions of Petite Heure Minute Monkey, both models of Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey boast a 68-hour power reserve and are available in a limited edition of only 28. Oscillating between timelessness and a present that is constantly renewed, these four creations are an ideal way for the Swiss watchmaker to memorialize the coming Year of the Monkey while simultaneously honoring its centuries-old ties with the Middle Kingdom.
Les Ateliers D’art Collection – Petite Heure Minute 35 Mm Monkey
Reference: J005003216, Numerus Clausus of 28
Movement
Jaquet Droz 2653.P, self-winding mechanical movement, balance-spring and pallet-fork horns in silicon, double barrel, flat bridges, 22-carat red gold oscillating weight with monkey 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, set with 232 diamonds (1.22 carats), 35 mm diameter
Height 10.80 mm
Individual limited serial number engraved on the case-back
Water Resistance: To 3 bar (30 meters)
Dial
Ivory Grand Feu enameled dial with miniature painting
Hands: 18-carat red gold
Bracelet
Rolled-edge hand-made brown alligator leather strap
Buckle: 18-carat red gold ardillon buckle
Total Carat Weight / Diamonds / Colored Gemstones
IF to VVSI, Full Cut, D to G
Total carat weight: 232 diamonds, 1.22 carats
Les Ateliers D’art Collection – Petite Heure Minute Monkey
Reference: J005013208, Numerus Clausus of 28
Movement
Jaquet Droz 2653.P, self-winding mechanical movement, balance-spring and pallet-fork horns in silicon, double barrel, flat bridges, 22-carat red gold oscillating weight with monkey 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, 39 mm diameter
Height 12.23 mm
Individual limited serial number engraved on the case-back
Water Resistance: To 3 bar (30 meters)
Dial
Ivory Grand Feu enameled dial with miniature painting
Hands: 18-carat red gold
Bracelet
Rolled-edge hand-made brown alligator leather strap
Buckle: 18-carat red gold ardillon buckle
Les Ateliers D’art Collection – Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey (Red Gold Version)
Reference: J005023281, Numerus Clausus of 28
Movement
Jaquet Droz 2653.Si, self-winding mechanical movement, balance-spring and pallet-fork horns in silicon, double barrel, 18-carat red gold oscillating weight with onyx and 22-carat red gold monkey applique.
Indications: Off-centered hours and minutes
Jewelling: 28 jewels
Power Reserve: 68 hours
Frequency: 28,800 v.p.h.
Case
18-carat red gold case
Diameter 41 mm
Height 13.77 mm
Individual limited serial number engraved on the case-back
Water Resistance: To 3 bar (30 meters)
Dial
18-carat red gold dial with black lacquer and hand-engraved and hand-patinated white mother-of-pearl. Hand-engraved and hand-patinated 18-carat red gold monkey relief, onyx hours and minutes subdial.
Hands: 18-carat red gold
Bracelet
Rolled-edge hand-made black alligator leather strap
Buckle: 18-carat red gold ardillon buckle
Les Ateliers D’art Collection – Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey (White Gold Version)
Reference: J005024280, Numerus Clausus of 28
Movement
“Jaquet Droz 2653.Si, self-winding mechanical movement, balance-spring and pallet-fork horns in silicon, double barrel, 18-carat white gold oscillating weight with onyx and 22-carat white gold monkey applique.”
Indications: Off-centered hours and minutes
Jewelling: 28 jewels
Power Reserve: 68 hours
Frequency: 28,800 v.p.h.
Case
18-carat white gold case, set with 272 diamonds (1.05 carats)
Diameter 41 mm
Height 13.77 mm
Individual limited serial number engraved on the case-back
Water Resistance: To 3 bar (30 meters)
Dial
18-carat white gold dial with black lacquer and hand-engraved and hand-patinated black mother-of-pearl
Hand-engraved and hand-patinated 18-carat white gold monkey relief, onyx hours and minutes subdial
Hands: 18-carat white gold
Bracelet
Rolled-edge hand-made black alligator leather strap
Buckle: 18-carat white gold ardillon buckle, set with 24 diamonds (0.15 carat)
Total Carat Weight / Diamonds
IF to VVSI, Full Cut, D to G
Total number of diamonds: 296 diamonds
Total carat weight: 1.20 carats
