Jaquet Droz is known for their exceptional watches—mementos that can be handed down from generation to generation. Their Novelties collection, one of their more eclectic lines, doesn’t focus solely on precise timekeeping, but rather on the aesthetics of the piece—the decoration, design and craftsmanship that captures the beauty and artistry of the brand. The latest addition, the Petite Heure Minute Relief Carps, was created to capture the story of the carp, long believed to be a symbol of love and life.
Using another one of their popular watch faces as an outline, Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'Arts artists began by focusing on the history and influence of the carp in Asian cultures. Using an off-center watch face allowed them to recreate a carp pond beneath the dial with blue fish swimming subtly in a pool of turquoise. Floating under lotus blossoms and lily pads, the carp are designed with a combination of hand-engraving and enameling trimmed in 18 karat red or white gold. Two versions are available: a white and black version designed with either mother-of-pearl and diamond encrusted bezel or onyx center or a simple gold bezel, respectively.
While the timepiece does focus on beauty and symbolism, the brand still includes the same quality mechanics found in other pieces. Outfitted with the Jaquet Droz 2653, self-winding mechanical movement, 28 jewels and a 68 hour power reserve making it a pretty powerful little work of art. Coming in a limited-edition number of only 28 pieces per design, the number of each watch comes engraved on the back of the 41mm timepiece. An additional carp can be found swimming just over the mechanics on the sapphire crystal back.
