Portfolio Jaquet Droz x Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones Automaton: the most rocking piece in the watchmaking history

Both faithful to its tradition of automata and the new strategy of its CEO Alain Delamuraz, Jaquet Droz has created a series of 23 unique pieces featuring the universe of the Rolling Stones. One for each of the 23 albums recorded since 1971.

The legendary rock band has released a series of albums whose instruments, stage and cover are reproduced in a one-off automaton for the first time. Its external disk spins up to eight times in a row, decorated with the albums that the collector himself has selected for his unique piece, also customising the gold rotor. The exact tones of each instrument, the tweed finish of the amps, the pickguard of the guitars or the tolex of the speakers, every tiny detail is hand-painted. Even Mick Jagger's harmonica is carved from a millimetre-long block of gold! Without a doubt the most rock'n'roll watch of the century.

Crédit photo © JAQUET DROZ 

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"For all born after 1963, there is the Sun, the Moon. And the Rolling Stones". Keith Richards was right. As the saying goes, the guitarist of the 'greatest rock'n'roll band of all time' is perfectly aware of the extent of the Stones phenomenon: global, immortal. In terms of fame as well as longevity, Jaquet Droz also knows music rather well. Created in 1738, the La Chaux-de-Fonds workshop was also the first to offer sold-out tours worldwide!

However, the main thing is not the Rolling Stones nor Jaquet Droz, but the person who makes them come alive: the ultimate fan, the collector, the enthusiast. Of music, of rock, of watches. Jaquet Droz's new strategy is dedicated to him, creating unique pieces of the highest level, animated by automatons that are unique in the world and can be personalised, which only he will own. The ultimate collector's item, intimate and personal, imbued with priceless emotional value, as could be an autographed Mick Jagger book or a beer shared with Ron Wood.

Today, that piece exists : The Rolling Stones Automaton. In a 43 mm red gold case, the artisans of Jaquet Droz have reproduced the Stones' stage set to perfection by hand. From left to right, we find Ron Wood's strato in front of his double-body stack, the minimalist drums of the late Charlie Watts. The other guitars of Ron Wood and Keith Richards - his most famous five-string guitar, with which the "Human Riff", nicknamed "Keef Riff Hard", carved some of the most legendary grooves in rock.

 Crédit photo © JAQUET DROZ 

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These mythical grooves will be represented, with their original covers, in the form of the six most emblematic albums of the band from 1971 to the present day. Each collector will be able to choose the covers of these albums. They will be reproduced by hand by the Jaquet Droz craftsmen on a disc capable of rotating, on demand, around the central stage. The rotation lasts about thirty seconds and can be activated eight consecutive times thanks to the push-piece inserted in the crown at 3 o'clock. But that's not all: the power reserve is indicated at 8 o'clock by a cam resembling a vinyl player's articulated arm and diamond. Just below, the cult Stones logo rises and falls while the tongue moves simultaneously from left to right. 

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True to its traditions, Jaquet Droz has deployed a wealth of creativity to bring this lively scene to life. The guitars and their amplifiers are individually handcrafted from a block of engraved and painted red gold. The cymbals are made from a gold disc that is slightly curved to reproduce the precise curve of the cymbal. A white gold wire represents the foot of the cymbals. The individual toms of the drum kit are also made of white and red gold wire and have a diameter of between 2.3 and 1.2 mm. The exact tones of each instrument, the tweed finish of the amps, the pickguard of the guitars, the tolex of the speakers: every tiny detail, every imperceptible reflection, is hand-painted. Even Mick Jagger's harmonica is reproduced, next to his microphone, in a block of gold no larger than a few tenths of a millimetre. On the sapphire back, the red gold oscillating weight will be engraved with the name of the album chosen by the collector to illustrate the image displayed under the central stage - with its release date and the name of the studio where it was recorded, resulting in a unique piece duly engraved "1/1".

Crédit photo © JAQUET DROZ