Jaquet Droz / Loving Butterfly Automaton
Jaquet Droz Loving Butterfly Automaton
Collection profile · 2017
The Loving Butterfly Automaton is Jaquet Droz’s poetic automaton-watch series that turns the Petite Heure Minute-style dial into a miniature stage, animating a cherub and butterfly through a crown-activated mechanism while showcasing the maison’s blend of métiers d’art and mechanical theater.
Why it matters
It is one of the clearest modern expressions of Jaquet Droz’s automaton heritage, connecting the brand’s eighteenth-century kinetic artistry to a contemporary, highly collectible mechanical showcase.
Key references
Collection timeline
- 2017 — The Loving Butterfly Automaton is first presented by Jaquet Droz.
- 2018 — Jaquet Droz unveils three new versions of the Loving Butterfly Automaton during its 280th-anniversary celebrations.
- 2024 — The official site still places the model among the maison’s flagship automaton watches alongside Bird Repeater, Charming Bird, and Lady 8 Flower.
FAQ
What is the Loving Butterfly Automaton based on?
The official story ties it to Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz’s historic automaton sketch of a cherub drawn by a butterfly.
How is the automaton activated?
The official page says a crown push-button triggers the animated mechanism.
More from Jaquet Droz
- Grande Seconde — The Grande Seconde is Jaquet Droz’s emblematic off-center signature collection, built around the brand’s historic large seconds display and a refined two-register dial architecture that links modern haute horlogerie to Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s eighteenth-century pocket-watch heritage.
- Petite Heure Minute — The Petite Heure Minute is Jaquet Droz’s compact, off-centered canvas for métiers d’art, using its small hours-and-minutes architecture to showcase miniature painting, enamel, engraving, lacquer, minerals, and mother-of-pearl with strong decorative emphasis.
- The Bird Repeater — A high-complication automata minute repeater centered on hand-engraved birds and an expressive animated dial, carrying forward Jaquet Droz’s historic bird automata language into a 47 mm contemporary wristwatch.