It is very nice to see a brand whose major fair launch is aimed at the female wrist. We saw Richard Mille do this at the 2015 SIHH with the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur, and now Jaquet Droz surprises us at Baselworld with the Lady 8 Flower.
The Lady 8 Flower incorporates a rare mechanical element that Jaquet Droz is famous for: the automat.
Altogether, this timepiece fits perfectly with what Jaquet Droz stands for: arts and crafts fused with technology, automata, and extreme wearability. Let’s take a closer look.
Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower with lotus flower closed (left) and open
The visuals of the very feminine Lady 8, like most Jaquet Droz pieces, comprise two superimposed circles resembling the numeral eight: these represent harmony, perfection, and infinity. I must reiterate once again that though many watch brands have begun to use the 8 almost ad nauseum in a multitude of ways in recent years (particularly in the number of limited edition pieces) hoping to target Asian markets where the number 8 is associated with wealth and joy Jaquet Droz does it authentically.
Right from the start of its modern-era career, the brand began basing its visuals on the shape of eight – inspired at least in part by Pierre Jaquet Droz’s original ties to China – which naturally led to the utilization of other good luck symbols like using the eight in limited edition numbers and even a four-leaf clover here and there. “Eight” has been an ingrained element at Jaquet Droz ever since its relaunch.
Lady 8 Flower by Jaquet Droz
The larger, lower circle on a Jaquet Droz dial may at times contain some artistic element, and on the new Lady 8 Flower it is a delicate butterfly with wings outspread. You may remember a butterfly from the 2013 artisanal model called Loving Butterfly. While that timepiece is completely different in terms of its basic makeup, there is the matter of the butterfly. This is an element that alludes to Pierre Jaquet Droz, who originally “programmed” his Draughtsman automata to draw a scene involving Cupid driving a chariot pulled by a butterfly.
The back of Jaquet Droz’s Lady 8 Flower
Depending on the version (there are two), the Lady 8 Flower’s butterfly is either painted and engraved in translucent red enamel over guilloche or set with blue sapphires against a backdrop of snow-set diamonds.
The upper “circle” is actually the mechanically interesting one: it contains a lotus flower blooming within a sapphire crystal dome.
Lady 8 Flower by Jaquet Droz
The symbolism of the lotus flower probably needs little explaining; in short it represents serenity and poetry, particularly in Asia. Each petal of the Lady 8 Flower is individually enameled or engraved. By pressing a button, the wearer can actually cause this lotus flower to open, revealing a sparkling diamond heart.
Naturally, this technical feat represented quite a head-scratcher for Jaquet Droz’s engineers: how would they fit both an automatic movement and an automat bursting into bloom at the press of a button into one 35 mm case? Naturally, with great care and by using a domed sapphire crystal.
This very feminine, yet very technical, timepiece is available in two versions: one atelier d’art piece featuring the aforementioned butterfly and one with a butterfly set with sparkling gems.
For more information, please visit www.jaquet-droz.com/en/collections/novelties/lady-8-flower.
Quick Facts Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower
Case: 35 x 12.76 mm (17.60 mm with dome), red gold or white gold, set with diamonds (IF to VVSI, D to G)
Dial: 18-karat red gold with guilloche, enameled grand feu butterfly; or white gold with 227 snow-set diamonds (0.65 ct) and 54 blue sapphires (0.87 ct)
Movement: automatic Jaquet Droz Caliber 615 with silicon balance spring, platinum micro rotor; the automaton is spring-driven using power from the pushed button
Functions: hours, minutes; lotus flower automaton that opens and closes on demand (button)
Limitation: 28 pieces (red gold version); 8 pieces (white gold version)
Price: 150,000 Swiss francs (red gold with enameled butterfly); 250,000 Swiss francs (white gold with total of 6.27 ct gemstones: 148 baguette-cut diamonds, 383 brilliant-cut diamonds, 54 blue sapphires)
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
[…] automat to ever grace a wristwatch) and Bird Repeater also make extended appearances as does the Lady 8 Flower (whose section is illustrated using female dancers from the Béjart Ballet, of which Jaquet Droz […]
[…] Ladies’ High-Mech category, we are pleased to help you discover the Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower in Jaquet Droz In Bloom: The Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat; the Fabergé Lady Compliquée in Fabergé Inaugurates Rebirth With Exceptional Lady Compliquée; […]
[…] For more information on this timepiece, please see Jaquet Droz In Bloom: The Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat. […]
[…] Because of its unique history with automata, Jaquet Droz continues to produce amazing feats of miniaturized mechanical marvels. These have most recently included the Bird Repeater, the Charming Bird, and the Lady 8 Flower. […]
[…] perpetual calendars, minute repeaters, or the watches that include automata such as the Lady 8 Flower, the Charming Bird, or the Bird Repeater. They all stand out as exceptional watchmaking and are […]
[…] For more on Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s automats, please see Jaquet Droz’s Signing Machine: The Evolution Of Traditional Automata and to discover how the historic automata by Pierre Jaquet-Droz have influenced the modern brand, please see Jaquet Droz In Bloom: The Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat. […]
[…] ED: Fabergé and Jaquet Droz were the big, big winners in terms of complicated ladies watches as far as I am concerned. The Lady 8 Flower is even one of my very top picks for the fair. I could not stop pressing the button to make the lotus flower bloom. It just mesmerized me! (See Jaquet Droz In Bloom: The Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat.) […]
[…] Best Harbinger Of Spring: Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower (see Jaquet Droz In Bloom: The Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat). […]
[…] Next up, we have, well, another watch from Baselworld, this time aimed at the ladies. Jaquet Droz is an interesting company. Though they are part of the Swatch Group, they manage to create things that you would consider to be more in-line with what an independent brand would create. One of their specialties has been the creation of automats – small, mechanical animations that do something interesting. Here, in the Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat, they have a lotus flower blooming in a sapphire dome. Not only that, you can set the bloom in motion at will. For more on the watch (including a video of it in action), head on over to Quill & Pad. […]
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