How Jaquet Droz’s Craftsmen Turn Watch Dials into Wearable Art
Some of the decorative techniques in this atelier cannot be found at any other watchmaker in the world.
By Paige Reddinger 10/11/2019
Many premium watch companies have métiers d’art ateliers, where exceptional artisanal pieces are done by hand. But few (if any) are able to create these works of art on the astonishing scale of Jaquet Droz. Whether it’s a dial made from a mosaic of nearly invisible elements to an automaton dial with miniature moving parts that bring a scene to life, the artistry found within the walls of this small manufacture in the valley of the Swiss Jura Mountains is unparalleled.
Jaquet Droz has been making these creations for almost three centuries, dating back to its founder, Pierre Jaquet-Droz. Its singular mechanical automata figures—which all could move and draw, write or play music—were built for kings, queens and aristocrats at court and were the precursors to our 21st-century androids. In their day, they served as feats of entertainment, and the versions the company now crafts for the wrist look like modern museum pieces still fit for the pleasure of royalty. Some of the decorative techniques in this atelier, such as the eggshell dials, cannot be found at any other watchmaker in the world.
1. A Brush with Genius
Each lotus-flower leaf on the Magic Lotus Automaton is hand-painted in Grand Feu enamel. Depending on the design of watch, sometimes the brush must be almost as thin as a human hair to finesse the nuances of the dial.
PHOTO : NIELS ACKERMANN
2. Stir It Up
The enamel is broken up with a mortar and pestle and ground into a powder. Water is added to create the paint-like paste for depicting the dial.
PHOTO : NIELS ACKERMANN
3. Colour Coded
A hundred shades of enamel powders line the studio wall like jars of spices waiting to be mixed into a paste.
PHOTO : NIELS ACKERMANN
4. Behind the Scenes
An artisan is busy at work against the backdrop of the scenic La Chaux-de-Fonds countryside. He’ll spend hours peering into the magnifying lens to place pieces into a mosaic.
PHOTO : NIELS ACKERMANN
5. Working on Eggshells
Incredibly, the face of the elephant shown here is made from tiny pieces of crushed quail eggshells. The pieces are so small that to the naked eye they almost look like sand. The broken-up shells have natural variations in colour and are sorted by hue in containers the size of a contact lens case, so that the shadowing and details of the elephant’s face can come to life. An in-house artisan discovered this form of mosaic artwork in Vietnam and brought it back to the Swiss valley. After all of the pieces have been set in place, the dial is covered with a lacquer coating for permanence—a delicate process given the fragile nature of the material.
PHOTO : NIELS ACKERMANN
6. Tiny Dancers
Each piece is placed by hand with tweezers until the scene comes together. This Lilliputian-size koi fish is 8.5mm long, made of gold and hand-painted—a process that takes almost three hours. Once it’s placed on the dial and the automaton is activated, the fish moves so it appears to be swimming through the water.
PHOTO: NIELS ACKERMANN
7. Bring the Heat
The enamel piece is placed on a special tray and fired in a kiln to set the material. Each colour requires a particular timing and temperature.
PHOTO: NIELS ACKERMANN
8. In the Groove
The intricate engraving work, seen here on the caseback and movement of Jaquet Droz’s Tropical Bird Repeater automaton, is done by hand with a burin (a steel engraving tool) under a magnifying loupe.
PHOTO: NIELS ACKERMANN
