Jaquet Droz "The Writer" Automata

Watch brands like to pump up their history a lot. This is especially true in Europe where with age comes legitimacy. It also helps when your history includes impressive things. A lot of today’s watch brands that bear vintage names don’t always have the most interesting histories. Much of them can be summed up as “man X did in fact make watches or clocks 150 – 200 years ago.” Two of the names that do come with a really impressive history are Breguet and Jaquet Droz (both conveniently owned by the Swatch Group now).

Breguet is well considered to be the “father of modern watch making.” If you study his work and are lucky enough to see some of his surviving creations you’ll see why. Pierre Jaquet Droz on the other hand is remembered not only for producing incredibly impressive technology, but also for his showmanship.