JAQUET DROZ @ The Lady 8 Flower

JAQUET DROZ - The Lady 8 Flower is an expression of refined femininity enhanced by the astounding automaton and the  virtuosity of the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'Art. A timepiece imbued with the spirit of the jeweler's craft, minimalist and richly ornate by turns, the Lady 8 and its distinctive undulating silhouette have made their mark as touchstones of femininity, elegance and watchmaking refinement. In the workshops at La Chaux-de-Fonds, the desire to create the most extraordinary timepieces sets the bar high, but this year the brand known by its twin stars has reached a pinnacle of achievement: it has bestowed the Lady 8 with a breathtaking mechanical animation in the form of a blossoming lotus flower.

The Lady 8 Flower, a fusion of all the arts and crafts practiced by Jaquet Droz, is made up of two superimposed circles creating a figure of eight, an emblematic number for the brand and a symbol of harmony, perfection and infinity. The lower circle features a delicate butterfly, its wings outspread. Two versions are available: one with the butterfly's wings painted and engraved in translucent red enamel on a guilloché background; the other, incorporating jewels, features a butterfly set with blue sapphires and portrayed against snow-set diamonds. The upper circle reveals a lotus flower under a sapphire crystal dome. Representing serenity and poetry, and sacred to many Asian cultures, the flower has been crafted with the utmost care. Each petal is individually enameled or engraved to give its back a perfect satin finish.

As a mysterious bud or fully opened jewel-like bloom, this animation is not simply a pure vision of naturalistic and poetic beauty. By pressing a push-button the lotus flower opens, revealing its diamond heart. For Jaquet Droz, the timepiece also presented a new technical challenge: accommodating the two mechanisms, the watch's and the automaton's - within a 35 mm diameter case, while ensuring one never interferes with the other. The case was fashioned with particularly meticulous workmanship, especially when setting the brilliant or baguette-cut diamonds adorning each piece. The Lady 8 Flower comes in two limited edition versions, each comprising just 8 pieces. In both, Jaquet Droz shares a taste for secrets with its clients - the secret of its peerless expertise ever preserved and adapted to the times, and that of a delicate flower that will burst into bloom at any moment.