The fact that watchmakers revel in ‘the more complications per square centimeter the better’ isn’t news to anyone. But the 2016 edition of Jaquet Droz’ The Charming Bird is a masterful performance at micro level. The brand debuted an initial version with the complication in 2013 and made the official introduction in 2015. The 2016 variant is limited to 16 pieces, eight in white gold and eight in red gold.
The masterpiece of the watch, which has a diameter of 47mm, is the automaton; a robot powered by springs and cogwheels. Automatons play an important role in the long and rich history of Jaquet Droz. In The Charming Bird a robotic bird sings its little heart out. The watch has sound, but it isn’t a minute repeater. It was made purely for the spectacle and to showcase the technical abilities of the house of Jaquet Droz. Those abilities didn’t go unnoticed because in 2015 the complication won the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix.

