February 2, 2012. La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland-
Distinctive Swiss watchmaker Jaquet Droz is pleased to announce its launch
of a microsite dedicated to the brand's historical automatons and its
current exhibition tour, "Automates et Merveilles," now live at
www.jaquet-droz.com
Jaquet Droz Launches "Automates & Merveilles"
Website
Pierre Jaquet Droz, born in 1721, was
not only an ingenious watchmaker but well known for perfecting and
marketing sophisticated automatons. His work culminated with three
humanoid robots: The Writer, The Draughtsman and The Musician, which were
presented in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1774. These three masterpieces admired
by connoisseurs from all over the world is today still revered engineering
feats.
The Jaquet Droz creations first toured from La
Chaux-de-Fonds to Geneva and then, in 1775, to Paris where they were
presented to Louis XVI and his queen, Marie-Antoinette. Soon after, they
were shown in the most prominent courts of Europe, with visits to London,
the Low Countries and Flanders in 1780-1781, as well as northern France.
They returned to Paris in 1782 and 1783, and exhibited in Lyon in 1784.
The automatons also travelled to the Russian court in Kazan and to Madrid.
In a recent LA
Times article , the prop maker for Martin
Scorsese's Academy Award nominated film "HUGO," has credited
Jaquet Droz automatons as his inspiration for the robots in the
movie-giving renewed relevance to an innovation that spans nearly three
hundred years.
These wondrous masterpieces will be on display
in Switzerland from April 28th to September 30th, 2012 under the
exhibition name "Automates et Merveilles." For information on
the tour visit www.jaquet-droz.com .About Jaquet
Droz
SINCE 1738, A LEGEND INTIME
Since it was first established
in 1738, Jaquet Droz has perpetuated the spirit of innovation and
aesthetic refinement of its founder, Pierre Jaquet Droz. The first
watchmaker to set up shop in Geneva, this ingenious inventor and man of
uncommon vision conquered the royal courts of Europe and China with his
stunning creations: fabulous humanoid automata and precious musical
watches. Expressing the values of the Age of Enlightenment, this elegant
and well-traveled philosophy still forms the core of our identity. Jaquet
Droz timepieces have always combined design, materials with the most
unexpected mechanical refinements. The most elaborate complications are
beautifully showcased with the purity of enamel or the luster of pearls
and precious stones. The Manufacture's exclusive spirit is intact after
nearly three centuries, as attested by its exquisite dials, made to order
from precious minerals and rare woods, its ultra-select collections and
its Numerus Clausus limited editions. At Jaquet Droz, we remain true to
our time-honored goal, namely, to push back the limits of the watchmaker's
art for your greater pleasure.
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2012-02-03 11:19:0