Discover the glorious legacy of this beautiful Swiss watch manufacture at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
What makes a brand unique? The answer inevitably comes from its history and looking at the 280 years of watchmaking heritage amassed by Jaquet Droz – that’s just two decades shy of three centuries – this is going to take a while.
Thankfully the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture has found a way to make it easy for us, by staging its travelling exhibition entitled Story of the Unique. And what fitting way to celebrate this beautiful jubilee if we may add, since its founders were great travellers of their time.
Indeed, Pierre Jaquet-Droz began exporting his mechanical timepieces, automata, and snuff boxes as early as in the 18th century, and as far wide as China, India and Japan.
Beginning in Hong Kong, the exhibition made its way to Milan, Zurich, Macau, Lisbon and Tokyo before arriving in Singapore. Expect three major themes: Ateliers d’Art, Automatons, and Grande Second.
Key pillars of the Jaquet Droz manufacture, these are specialties practiced since the days of its founder and continually perfected through the centuries. Time-honoured metiers such as grand feu enamel, paillonnee enamel, relief engraving and hand-guilloche are just some of them.
For a complete overview of what Jaquet Droz is fully capable of, do not miss the piece unique Parrot Repeater Pocket Watch, which contains just about every watchmaking and decorative technique known and mastered by the manufacture.
Of course, Jaquet Droz’s latest collection will also be on show. Pieces include the Grande Seconde Tribute, which is the manufacture’s first yellow gold wristwatch in a long while, and the utterly futuristic Grande Seconde Skelet-One with its openworked bridges and sapphire crystal running seconds sub-dial.
Jaquet Droz will also exhibit its Signing Machine, a nifty device that replicates your autograph flawlessly with a mechanical moving arm. The result of four years of R&D work, it’s a little bit creepy yet also very cool.
Story of the Unique
Jaquet Droz
28 September to 14 October 2018
B2 Atrium
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Ave
Singapore 018956
