As every year, Jaquet Droz unveils a limited series celebrating the Chinese New Year, spotlighting in turn each animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. 2018 was the year of the Dog, and now the Pig is the final animal in the cycle. An iconic animal in Chinese culture, the Pig marks the end of a cycle imbued with its core character traits. These traits extend to people born during this twelfth year in the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
Those born in the year of the Pig are said to be loyal, cautious and attentive. The Pig is empathic, selflessly devoted to the causes of others, endlessly trusting and exceptionally honest. Integrity is another quality associated with the Pig. Calm at all times, even in the most stressful situations, those born in the year of the Pig have a sense for entrepreneurship and responsibility – qualities that insure they always complete their duties and tasks. They are aided in this by good health that allows them to enjoy happy moments to the fullest.
To honor this highly symbolic animal, Jaquet Droz begins with a pair of Petite Heure Minute models in red gold, issued in a limited series of 28 pieces each (numerus clausus). The ladies’ version features a 35 mm case set with 232 diamonds, while the unisex version has a 39 mm case and no diamond setting. On both of these watches, the Art of Miniature Painting was chosen to depict a young Pig in a field of wheat. Applying the brand’s signature naturalist technique, Jaquet Droz evokes the abundance and prosperity of a ripe wheat crop, and the calm and good sense of the Pig who stands before it, visibly disinterested. On the back of the piece, the gold oscillating mass is engraved with a similar scene.
Engraving is the dominant art in the second new pair of limited-series pieces: the Petite Heure Minute Relief Pig. Here, a wild pig is depicted in front of eight oak trees. The number eight has a special significance for Chinese culture, which sees it as a lucky number, and for Jaquet Droz, whose flagship model, the Grande Seconde, is based on the aesthetic of its infinite loops. The mighty oak tree is a symbol of power, longevity, and moral and physical strength.
Both of these limited-series models display an onyx hours and minutes disk that gleams in sheer bottomless black. In the first creation – a numerus clausus of 28 pieces – the brand has chosen to contrast the black onyx with a 43 mm red gold case featuring a red gold engraving. In the second limited series of eight pieces, a white gold case and engraving accentuate the black onyx of the disk. The case and lugs are set with diamonds. In both models, the boar is depicted in a relief engraving on the oscillating mass, with an onyx applique providing the backdrop. The brand proposes illustrated by the wealth of Jaquet Droz craftsmanship.
