47mm wide on the wrist and appreciably thick, I forget about the size of this watch. You know what? The large watch “trend” was meant for timepieces like this. No one wants to jam an automaton complication with a minute repeater inside of a 37mm wide case. Give the mechanics some room to breathe, and the human eye some space to admire what is going on. Modern high-end watchmaking is almost exclusively about noticing the design, functionality, oddity, or whatever, of the watch you are wearing. Smaller watches make all that so much less obvious. Of course, you should wear a timepiece suited to the size of your wrist, but for all those people who “just don’t get the larger watch,” take a look at the Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater, and really ask yourself if you want this even more miniaturized.

In 2000, when Jaquet Droz “relaunched” under the leadership of Manuel Emch (currently at Romain Jerome), the focus was on creating beautiful watches that mixed a very historical look with a dressy modern elegance. It was an ambitious task, and I still think some of their early watch designs, such as the now iconic Grande Seconde, are still masterpieces of modern horology. Having said that, how do you fill the shoes of a brand whose forefather created amazing mechanical works of art such as automaton singing bird boxes and early androids, such as The Writer. The answer is that you really can’t with basic watches. Even though Jaquet Droz is the most boutique of the Swatch Group’s “prestige brands,” they are doing some of the most creative things. In a very rare move, Swatch Group’s handling of Jaquet Droz seems to be less like a profit-driven business, and more like a creative play field. I am sure that Jaquet Droz is making money, but at the same time, if they were in charge of feeding all their mouths, I don’t think they would dedicate this much time to dazzlingly niche, ultra-luxury watches.

Contained inside of the Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater is Jaquet Droz’s caliber RMA88 manually wound mechanical movement. Jaquet Droz doesn’t currently produce their own movements, but they do engage in a lot of the decorative work in-house. Instead, as part of the Swatch Group, resources are dedicated to producing totally exclusive movements, such as the RMA88. With about 48 hours of power reserve, and operating at 18,000 bph, the movement indicates the time and features a minute repeater. In many ways, the movement architecture is historic, but the intense automaton assembly on the dial means this caliber is unlike almost anything from the past.

A lever on the side of the case is pushed up, and when released, the minute repeater complication is activated. At this point, the watch begins to orchestrate a series of chimes that when read together, indicate the current time. One can view the spiraled gongs and double hammers through the rear of the case – these produce the sounds of the minute repeater. However, it is more likely that upon activating the minute repeater, you’ll remain focused on the dial, where the family of birds play out their scene. As childish and primitive as the result may be, it never fails to produce a smile on your face.

Even though the case and dial engraving in some versions of the Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater are extremely impressive (and beautiful), what is more “brand worthy” is the application of enamel painting. Carefully done by hand under magnification, the birds and other elements are painted and then baked for permanence. All of it lays safe under a domed sapphire crystal inviting human inspection. Given Jaquet Droz’s current focus on in-house enamel painting, these skills should not be overlooked. Then again, if you’ve already decided to dedicate the funds to purchasing the Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater watch, you probably know exactly what you want. Jaquet Droz has even upped the ante a bit with their Charming Bird watch.

I enjoy living in a world where stuff like this is produced – a statement I make a lot. Perhaps I need to take more time to explain it. Part of me feels that if people can focus on creating such beautiful, detailed, useless luxuries, then just maybe world is comfortable and healthy enough to do so. That Switzerland is one of the last bastions of these crafts speaks to the relative comfort of the people there. At least, that is one possible take-away message. Though, the story of who buys these items might be something entirely different… Each Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater watch is limited to just 8 pieces and priced here at $472,500 for the reference J031034203 “openworked” dial model in 18k white gold, and $630,000 for the reference. J031033202 engraved 18k red gold model.   jaquet-droz.com