It is worth noting that Jaquet-Droz the inventor travelled Europe presenting his mechanical curiosities so he could finance both make these objects and his watches. He and his son Henri-Louis as well as collaborator Jean-Frederic Leschot have their legacy preserved by the contemporary firm Jaquet Droz, especially in this sort of complication. The Loving Butterfly automaton is a direct tribute to the Draughtsman automaton created by Henri-Louis 242 years ago. One of the images created by that automaton is a scene of Cupid driving a chariot pulled by a butterfly. That scene plays out on the dial here, via an automaton.

By pressing the pusher on the crown, the butterfly comes to life, pulling the chariot with Cupid mounted on it; the butterfly flaps it wings 300 times while the chariot’s wheel appears to turn, all in just under two minutes. Though the motif belongs firmly to the world of fairies and the like, the butterfly is hyper-realistic and looks ready to take flight from the dial.

Jaquet Droz 2653 AT1

The action of the automaton is powered by a three-barrel system independent of the timekeeping functions so one need not be concerned about loss of amplitude or any other impact on timekeeping performance. The calibre proper is automatic and is entirely disconnected from the automaton. Consequently though, the automaton must be wound up on its own, via the crown (by turning it anti-clockwise). The automaton took three years to develop and has two patents associated with it.

Jaquet Droz 2653 AT1

The purity of the onyx dial (also in Polynesian black mother-of-pearl) is enhanced by the three-dimensional effect of the hand-engraved butterfly, chariot, Cupid and trees. When seen at an angle, the manner by which the trees (each no more than 0.2mm thick) are attached to the dial also seems a bit mysterious. Jaquet Droz says the trees are affixed using the same method that watch hands are applied and this is apparently the first time such a technique has been used for decorative aspects on the dial; there is a patent pending on this technique too.

Available in white gold and red gold, both versions of this 43mm watch are limited to just 28 pieces. The watch is some 16.63mm so it is certainly hefty. It has already won widespread praise online as one of the best watches of BaselWorld 2017.

Jaquet Droz 2653 AT1 Specifications

Movement Self-winding calibre Jaquet Droz 2653 AT1 with automaton; 68-hours of power reserve for the movement, manual-winding for the automaton
Case 43mm in white gold or red gold; water-resistant to 30m
Strap rolled-edge hand-made black alligator