Having already turned birds and butterflies into moving spectacles in previous automaton watches including The Charming Bird and Lady 8 Flower, it was only a matter of time before Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s most famous sketch – that of a cherub in a chariot pulled by a butterfly – got the same treatment. After three years spent developing this patent-pending automaton mechanism, The Loving Butterfly is finally here.
Pushing the button in the crown will start the 90-second long animation, with the butterfly wings flapping 2.5 times a second while the chariot wheel rotates. You can stop it at any time by simply pushing the button again, and turning the crown counter-clockwise will wind the automaton mechanism.
All 40 parts of the automaton have been hand-engraved in-house, from the precariously fine butterfl y antennae to the slender trees that measure just 0.2mm wide. The trees are attached to the dial in the same way watch hands are and this technique is one of the features that the brand is patenting.
It is available in a 43mm case in 18K red gold with an onyx dial, or white gold with a mother-of-pearl dial. Only 28 pieces are available in either metal.
