Jaquet Droz And The Eye Of The Tiger

Jaquet Droz has always cherished its artistic side and often gives it center stage on their watches. This makes it that they are about more than just telling time, and transcend to becoming an object of art. To achieve this, the level of craftsmanship needs to be at an extremely high standard, otherwise, they run the risk of merely becoming something whimsical. With the new Petit Heure Minute ‘Tiger,’ which is available in two varieties, the brands’ Ateliers d’Art has absolutely surpassed itself, delivering a stunning display of realism.

With this new creation, the lower half of the dial is dedicated to the tiger’s eyes. While they have a real-life look to them, and almost look like they are a printed photo, they are painted on the Grand Feu enamel dial. This is extremely difficult to accomplish and requires brushes as thin as just a single hair. The artesian needs to work under a microscope to achieve the necessary result, and progress is slow. The result of this painstaking work is breathtaking, as this magnificent animal seems to gaze at you with pride and confidence.

Jaques Droz is making two different limited editions of the Petit Heure Minute ‘Tiger.’ The first features a red gold case, combines with a white dial in Grand Feu enamel. Here a pair of green eyes look at you from between the characteristic orange fur with black and white markings that his animal is so well-known for. The details are so amazing that you can actually count the hairs. The other version has a case made out of white gold, with a black Grand Feu enamel dial. Here the tiger is in black and white, except for its pair of piercing blue eyes. Both watches have a diameter of 43mm and are equipped with Jaquet Droz caliber 2653.P, a mechanical movement that is self-winding thanks to its gold oscillating weight. The movement features a silicon balance spring and pallet horns, while a double mainspring barrel gives it a power reserve of 68 hours. Jaquet Droz will make of only 28 pieces of each variety of the Petit Heure Minute ‘Tiger.’