Cheap Jaquet Droz was among the first to discover the Middle Kingdom in the 18th century and was allowed to present his creations to courtiers in the very heart of the Forbidden City.
As the Chinese calendar turns to the New Year under the sign of the Fire Monkey, the firm’s artisans found some inspiration to design two new models, each available in two versions. These four models is the ideal way for the brand to celebrate both the historic ties between China and the Year of the Monkey.

For the adornment of these timepieces, Jaquet Droz looked to the legend of Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. Sun Wukong features prominently in Chinese classical literature and remains to this day one of the most enduring characters in the culture’s folklore. Legend tells how this clever and curious animal was appointed to Swiss replica watches over the Garden of Celestial Peaches, but instead ate the sacred peaches in order to attain immortality. Chinese people traditionally give peaches as a welcome gift or a symbol of eternal life, while peach trees signify long life and their branches are used to chase away evil spirits.

For many years, the brand’s Ateliers d’Art have excelled in the realm of figurative art on watch dials, with finely drawn lines, a subtlety that allows colors to come vividly alive on the “white canvas” of ivory Grand Feu enamel, and an off-centered hours-and-minutes dial at 12 o’clock that frees up the surface.

The Petite Heure Minute Monkey depicts the animal leaping onto a branch to pick a peach, in an image suffused with poetry despite being so realistic it creates an almost palpable sense of movement. The artists have employed all of the watchmaking brand’s unique expertise to portray this symbol of wisdom and long life in the form of an Asian monkey—the emblematic species on that continent. These meticulously painted timepieces are presented in red gold cases measuring either 35 or 39 mm in diameter, with the smaller version boasting a setting of brilliant-cut diamonds. The legend of the Monkey King is also celebrated on the back by the subtle interplay created between solid forms and empty spaces, as the oscillating weight drives the self-winding mechanism of these two models.

 

Petite Heure Minute Singe. © Jaquet Droz Replica Watches

The Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey is adorned with a sophisticated medley of lacquer and mother-of-pearl that discloses a monkey, sculpted in gold, perched on the branch of a peach tree against a background of delicate foliage. This exquisitely fine artwork has been created in two versions. One is enclosed in a red gold case and the other in a jewel-like white gold case that sparkles daintily with the brilliance of its myriad of inset diamonds. The oscillating weight, designed to match, marries gold that is first engraved then patinated, with black onyx. Each model is covered in a domed sapphire crystal, especially designed to accommodate this three-dimensional tableau.

 

The Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey. © Jaquet Droz Swiss Replica Watches

Like the two versions of Petite Heure Minute Monkey, both models of Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey boast a 68-hour power reserve and are available in a limited edition of only 28.