Luxury timepieces with “art dials” have become increasingly popular in past few years. The latest artistic piece from the watchmaking house of Jaquet Droz is encrusted by using the Asian art of eggshell mosaic. This newcomer depicts a scene in which an elephant moves across a landscape of paddy fields.
The eggshell mosaic technique found in Vietnamese lacquerware has never before been used in watchmaking so far. This artistic skill involves the use of duck eggshell tesserae to produce unique pictures. In this particular case, the dial of the Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Mosaic Elephant Watch is comprised of some 2,000 tiny pieces of quail eggshell.
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Mosaic Elephant Watch Workshop
All pieces are carefully arranged into an image of an elephant which is a symbol of wisdom and strength. The final scene is shielded with a layer of transparent lacquer, which is finely polished to obtain the visual depth. It took about 200 hours of time by a master miniature mosaic artist to create an elephant with the accompanying scenery.
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Mosaic Elephant (ref. J005033280) is powered with the Jaquet Droz 2653 self-winding movement with 22-karat red gold oscillating weight hand-engraved in relief with elephant motif as well as with the twin stars of the Jaquet Droz logo. The inner beauty of the movement as well as the oscillating weight are visible through the sapphire crystal case back. The reverse side of the watch also reveals the individual limited serial number of the each timepiece.
The mechanical movement oscillates at the rapid frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour (4 Hz). The impeccable caliber delivers a fairly generous power reserve of around 68 hours when fully charged.
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Mosaic Elephant Watch Case Back
The newest member of the Jaquet Droz Les Ateliers D’Art collection is housed in 18-karat red gold case with the diameter of 43mm. The sub-dial for the time is black onyx stone.
The case of the new Jaquet Droz is constructed to resist water pressure up to 30 meters (approximately 100 feet) and the watch is attached to a hand-made rolled-edge black alligator leather strap.
The new Petite Heure Minute Mosaic Elephant watch from the Jaquet Droz is available as a limited edition of just eight specimens.
Since 1738, the house of Jaquet Droz has perpetuated the spirit of innovation and the aesthetic refinement of the ingenious French founder of the company, Pierre Jaquet-Droz.
