Swiss Mechanical Marvels

Record sale for Jaquet Droz antique piece at $2,530,000.

Jaquet Droz Singing Bird Scent Flask was one of the centerpiece of Sotheby’s watch auction yesterday in New York.

Congratulation to the new owner of Jaquet Droz Singing Bird Scent Flask. This exceptional automaton was one of the centerpiece of Sotheby’s watch auction yesterday in New York. It has been sold for $2,530,000 breaking a new record for a Jaquet Droz antique piece.

After it was created by Pierre Jaquet Droz & Leschot about 230 years ago, the brand is proud to see this astounding automaton joining a new collection as an exceptional piece of art. It represents perfectly the historical savoir-faire of Jaquet Droz that the brand continues to perpetuate today in its Atelier de Haute Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The automaton features an articulated ivory bird – measuring just 12 millimeters tall – which is accompanied by a highly intricate, miniature organ to replicate the bird’s song. The superbly-decorated and constructed scent flask is covered in enamel and jewels, centered by a recessed medallion with a magnificent scene that showcases varicolored gold sculpture representing a branch with leaves with the singing bird automaton perched atop.