CONSTELLATION OF GLITTERING GOLD
Producing a paillon – a French word that is the origin of the neologism “paillonnage” – is a traditional technique borrowed from the 18th century, a painstaking art that was considered for a time old-fashioned, but has gradually returned to the limelight, particularly in watchmaking, thanks to Jaquet Droz. This artistic technique is often reserved for goldsmiths and jewellers, and consists in cutting out a gold, silver or even copper leaf to obtain small spangles in a range of shapes and patterns.
For the new Ateliers d’Art Paillonnage watch collection, these small gold fragments mainly depict the outline of a blue tit, Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s favourite bird, and now a symbol of his brand. They are applied in a geometrical shape across a “Grand Feu” enamel surface to form a tapestry that is then covered and protected by a layer of translucent enamel.
The latest watches made by Jaquet Droz feature rose gold cases and are available in two colours, a superb royal blue and a deep burgundy red, showing off the golden paillons. The Ateliers d’Art Paillonnage collection comes in six pieces, two Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée models, two Grande Seconde Paillonnée models, a Grande Seconde Tourbillon Paillonnée and a Pocket Watch Paillonnée. All these timepieces, excepting the pocket watch, are powered by automatic mechanisms, and most of them provide 68 hours of power reserve. The Grande Seconde Tourbillon Paillonnée, however, has an exceptional autonomy of up to seven days (168 hours).
The dials, with their blue and red “Grand Feu” enamel, and flecked with golden spangles, feature a white mother-of-pearl disc, for the Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée, and two interlocking counters forming a perfect 8, for the rest of the collection. All the hands are made of blued steel, with lancine-type hands for the hours and minutes.
Prices from 38,900 to 122,600 CHF jaquet-droz.com
By Sharmila Bertin