Exquisite Jaquet Droz watch features a complex bird automaton

First off all, note the name on this watch. Right, that's the same famous Jaquet-Droz often mentioned on this blog in the context of the amazing writing, drawing, and music-playing automata.

This amazing timepiece is what is known as a "minute repeater", meaning that it audibly chimes the hours and minutes on demand. Very hand in the dark and very complicated to pull off mechanically.

You could stop there, and I for one, would be impressed. But that's not all.

The most notable thing about this watch is that it has proper automaton within. Some automaton watches consist of a simple figure moving with the second hand. Not this one. Rather, this incredible watch features two birds tending their young in the nest. The birds move their hands and one spreads its wings. Meanwhile, the hungry chicks reach for their food and a hatchling emerges from an egg. That's a complicated automaton in any context. This is all done on the inside of a watch!

This watch comes in two varieties and can be yours for a price. It is $472,500 for the 18k red-gold version and $493,500 in 18k white gold and diamonds.

You saw it here first.

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