The notion of disruption in watchmaking can take many forms: new materials, unconventional displays, revisited calibers, or reinterpreted icons. At Jaquet Droz, however, disruption operates on a different level. Since Alain Delamuraz became CEO in 2022, the “JD 8.0 – A Disruptive Legacy” strategy has challenged nearly all industry conventions. Collections, catalogs, references and traditional distribution channels have been abandoned. Each watch is a unique piece, co-created with a collector and delivered in person at the manufacture.
This approach echoes the 18th-century practices of Pierre Jaquet-Droz, who designed bespoke automata for royal courts in Europe and Asia. His creations combined technical ingenuity with a sense of wonder. Mr. Delamuraz thus reconnects with the brand’s original DNA, where watchmaking is conceived as an art form merging mechanics and decorative crafts.
The Workshop as the Core
This repositioning also entails a concrete shift in business model. The previous network of 160 retail points—multi-brand retailers and mono-brand boutiques—has been replaced by a single meeting place: the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Here, the process is built on direct interaction between artisans and collectors. Studio 8 enables remote follow-up through six cameras, offering real-time access to the creation process. Collectors can virtually observe the artisan at work, as the watch takes shape through collaboration.
This model brings together a wide range of rare skills in one place: micro-painting, engraving, sculpture, artisanal lacquer, grisaille, Grand Feu enamel, gem-setting, paillon work and manual mineral cutting. These are combined with traditional watchmaking expertise, including complications, tourbillons and automata.
At the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture, Jaquet Droz fulfills its ambition: translating each collector’s vision onto a dial only a few square centimeters in size.
What Does This Look Like on the Wrist? Three recent creations illustrate this approach.
Petite Heure Minute Red Gold Japanese Garden: Pushing Mother-of-Pearl to Its Limits
This piece highlights Jaquet Droz’s expertise in engraving mother-of-pearl. The dial is made entirely from this material, not as a decorative layer but as its structural base, using ultra-white Pacific mother-of-pearl. An idealized Japanese garden unfolds across its surface.
A traditional temple appears at the top, with depth created through semi-translucent gray paint. In front, 25 appliqués, mainly sculpted and engraved mother-of-pearl, form the composition: reeds, water lilies, a blossoming cherry tree, and a lantern with a yellow gold structure and a mother-of-pearl cabochon reflecting a river with koi carp.
The technical execution is highly precise. Reed branches measure less than 0.1mm in thickness. The hands pass beneath the décor within a 10th of a millimeter. The koi’s eyes are set with 0.5mm diamonds. Even concealed areas, visible only through the glass box crystal, are hand-engraved, forming a detail shared only between artisan and collector.
Joyful Birds - Great Wall: A New Aesthetic Inspired by Inflatable Art
With this piece, Jaquet Droz explores a new visual language. Birds, a long-standing motif of the brand, appear here in a style influenced by Inflatable Art. Their rounded, voluminous forms create a playful and light impression. The surrounding flowers seem shaped directly from color, while the Great Wall of China stretches across the background beneath a rising sun.
The overall effect is joyful and unusual for Haute Horlogerie. Developed with a collector, the piece combines this apparent lightness with complex execution. Integrating the relief décor into a 41mm red gold case requires a careful balance between volume and readability. Miniature painting defines light and shadow, bringing the forms to life. The oscillating weight on the back features a mother-of-pearl appliqué.
This creation also signals the return of birds as a signature element, now expressed through a contemporary aesthetic intended to extend into other themes.
Petite Heure Minute Red Gold Hummingbirds: Naturalism Enhanced by a Tourbillon
This third piece adopts a more classical inspiration while maintaining a high level of craftsmanship. Two hummingbirds feeding on hibiscus flowers reflect the Enlightenment’s interest in botany and ornithology, central to Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s legacy.
The 18-carat gold dial is entirely handmade. The flowers, leaves and birds are engraved and decorated with Grand Feu enamel in vivid tones, achieved through multiple firings. Pollen grains are created using gold paillons. The hummingbirds, executed in miniature painting, have enough volume to resemble appliqués, with a thickness close to a 10th of a millimeter.
At 12 o’clock, a tourbillon with a translucent sapphire bridge dominates the dial. Equipped with a silicon escapement and a seven-day power reserve, it anchors the piece in mechanical Haute Horlogerie. The 39mm red gold case reflects the balance between artistic craftsmanship and technical precision.
Three Pieces, One Approach
These three creations differ in theme and style: a mother-of-pearl Japanese garden, inflatable-style birds set against the Great Wall, and enamel hummingbirds paired with a tourbillon. Each represents a distinct aesthetic and a different collector. Their coherence lies not in visual identity but in method. Every piece results from a dialogue between artisan and collector, bringing together all necessary crafts to realize a singular vision.
Jaquet Droz has chosen to prioritize absolute uniqueness over standardization. This approach has resonated with collectors, confirming that the 288-year-old brand continues to challenge established norms.
