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 Humble
beginnings
It all began with a small family workshop at La Chaux-de-Fonds,
a simple farming background and the determination of an entrepreneur,
Pierre Jaquet Droz. From these humble beginnings began an adventure
that established the brand, Jaquet Droz.
Pierre Jaquet Droz (1721-1790) was one of the most noted craftsmen
of his time. By effectively masking the complexity of watch mechanisms
and movements, he became the unquestioned master of animated timekeepers.
From singing birds to fountains and musical watches, he revolutionised
the world of artistic timekeeping.
Works of art
 What
truly established his reputation as an artist was his skill in designing
automatons. In fact, three of his lifelike androids or automatons
created a sensation and became famous the world over. Called the
Musician, the Draughtsman and the Writer, these specially-crafted
dolls could perform certain entertaining tasks. For instance, the
Writer could sketch over 20 different drawings.
An engineering achievement for the 18th century, these automatons
were capable of performing precise actions like manipulating a quill.
In addition to this, they were programmed to perform different variations
of their designed operation. For instance, the doll could write
a certain phrase as well as draw a picture.
 Throughout
the 18th and 19th century, these charming automatons were widely
popular with the crème de la crème of society. Till
date, the automatons are regarded as a contributing milestone in
the field of robotics. With the automatons, Pierre Jaquet Droz demonstrated
his mastery of human anatomy and mechanical engineering. This was
long before the development of Unimate, the first modern-day robotic
arm.
A master craftsman
His knowledge of the craft and contribution to the field made
Pierre Jaquet Droz a very popular man. In his capacity as a skilled
watchmaker, he attended the royal courts in Europe, Russia and even
in China’s Forbidden City. His ability to incorporate new technologies
to create sophisticated timepieces ensured his dominance in the
watch industry, primarily between 1760 and 1790.
The importance of the Lepine-calibre movement and Perrelet’s
self-winding mechanism were first recognised by Pierre Jaquet Droz.
He introduced and popularised these horological inventions to the
Swiss watchmaking community.
 An
eventful journey
Starting with a trip to Spain in 1758, Jaquet Droz continued
to fulfill his horological dreams by taking calculated risks. Not
content with his reputation in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Jaquet Droz with
his son Henri and Jean-Federic Leschot, sought to access new markets
in Europe and Asia. For their expansion, they zeroed in on London,
an important centre of industry and commerce. The establishment
of the London workshop in 1774 helped Jaquet Droz timepieces achieve
the luxury status. People harboured the opinion that everything
made in England was of better quality, more valuable and long lasting
in comparison to similar products from other countries. Taking advantage
of international trade opportunities, Droz distributed clocks, automatic
watches and singing birds to every country in the Orient, particularly
China. By 1784, the demand for their products began exceeding their
production capabilities. This is when Pierre Jaquet Droz founded
the watchmaking unit in Geneva.
The land of horology
It was in Geneva that Pierre Jaquet Droz assembled a team of
expert clockmakers, chiming mechanism specialists, mechanics, enamellers,
jewellers and stone-setters. These artisans perfected the decorative
techniques of enamel painting, a technique that is now synonymous
with the brand. He opened three manufacturing units in La Chaux-de-Fonds,
London and Geneva. The workshop in Geneva was the first one ever
to be setup in a town. He extended his distribution network and
organised tours all round the world to present his automatons.
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