Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVII

I n 2012, the Bird Repeater timepiece featured two blue tit birds and their young – birds close to the heart of the company’s founder Pierre Jaquet-Droz. This remarkable model reaffirmed the virtuoso expertise of Jaquet Droz, passed down from the 18th century and realised inminiature with this delightful watch. The following year, the Charming Bird watch marked the brand’s 275th anniversary with a new interpretation of the bird in an ultra-modern decorative setting, and this time singing. Now, the story continues with a previously unseen version of the Bird Repeater – a more streamlined, contemporary-looking model that has nonetheless retained intact the animated features that made it a success: a duo of blue tits feeding their fledglings, the spreading wings, the tumbling waterfall and the hatching egg. It displays a poetic naturalism all the more surprising for the subtle aesthetic changes that the Jaquet Droz craftsmen have decided to make in the name of modernisation. Behind the sapphire crystal dial, the automated movement has been exposed so that each of the coloured animations are more visible and the components of the black, anthracite and grey automaton are revealed. This new depth and contrast in colour enhance the artisans’ work and accentuate every minute detail – the feathers, the eyes, the curve of the bird’s body, the flowing water – as well as the delicacy of the engraving and paint work. The new Bird Repeater comes in white gold on a black alligator leather strap. It is the ultimate expression to date of the Jaquet Droz spirit, merging historic watchmaking tradition and avant-garde design. The Bird Repeater Openwork is available as a limited edition of eight pieces, each one equipped with 508 components. When Jaquet Droz met Stéphanie Barba, inspiration followed: the Petite Heure Minute Le Chef Jaquet Droz and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne became inseparable partners in 2013. The watchmaking firm is part of the life of the dance company, supporting its work and sharing its values of rigour, technical mastery and a futuristic vision of its oeuvre. Through its relationship with the Ballet, Jaquet Droz discovered the work of an artist with a passion for dance – and Maurice Béjart's choreography especially. Stéphanie Barba’s intensely full and varied life is impossible to sumup in a few lines. Suffice it to say, a chance encounter gave her access to the rehearsals and shows at the Paris Opera and the chance to see the leading companies that all came to perform there. She met the highly acclaimedMaurice Béjart in 1983; this turned out to be a turning point for the artist, who then went on to bring the Béjart dancers to life on paper, paying tribute to the ballets, to the gracefulness of dance, but above all to movement. When Jaquet Droz saw her accomplished sketches and obvious passion for the subject, it was all the watchmaking brand needed to initiate a new collaboration with Stéphanie Barba, and to pay its own homage to dance through her work. From a portfolio of 20 drawings inspired by Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’, Jaquet Droz artisans selected one called ‘The Chief’ (or ‘Le Chef’, in French) – a sketch in red chalk taken from the moment in the ballet when two men fight to rule the tribe. The conflict in the dance is described thus: “The music soars, clashes, falls, resumes, concluding triumphantly when the winner becomes the new chief", and Barba’s technique captures it perfectly. To fully highlight the artistry, Jaquet Droz chose the dial of the Petite Heure Minute model. Its design, unique to the brand, and the generous space it provides, bring the sketch alive and serve as a canvas for the expressive artwork. The result is a 43mm version of the Petite HeureMinute in red gold with a brown crocodile leather strap, displaying the red-chalk sketch of the Chef – sure to appeal to those who harbour the soul of a leader. 1 3 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I