Ophidian Hour:
Jaquet Droz unveils its interpretations for the year of the snake
Pieces that pay homage to snakes are rarities. Jaquet Droz has not created one for 12 years. Today, the atelier is unveiling two unique interpretations for the next Chinese astrological year: one with a mother-of-pearl dial and one on a Sonora Sunrise mineral dial. And there is a first: they do not have a single hand. Master craftsmanship has been taken to an unprecedented level. The solid gold curved body of a serpent is enamelled in graduated colours punctuated by a motif designed by John Howe; friend of the brand and the creator of artwork for the Lord of the Rings novels.
Certain animals have imposing forms. Others demonstrate more softness. This is the case for the snake, under whose sign the 2025 Chinese astrological year will occur. Profiting from this creative opportunity, Jaquet Droz has designed its first piece without any hands: Ophidian Hour (referring to a snake). The unique pieces are 41 mm in diameter and made from red gold, with hours and minutes that are shown by dragging discs. The hours are indicated by the head of the snake. The minutes by its tail.
Between these two extremities, Jaquet Droz has imbued its creation with symbolism and artisanal excellence. The animal's long body is reminiscent of the calligraphy for the Chinese character for happiness. It is sculpted from five blocks of solid white gold that are assembled with perfect continuity. The snake has an impressive presence on the dial: At its highest point, it measures 4 mm, literally coming to rest on the sapphire glass, almost within touching distance.
But this is not where the real achievement lies. The suppleness of a snake's body offers a creative simplicity that belies the difficulty of this form which is entirely created from smooth curves. It offers so many surfaces that it was almost impossible to add enamel work, since pre-fired enamel is a powder that, in theory, cannot be applied nor held on the entire circular surface of the animal at the same time. Yet Jaquet Droz craftsmen managed it. And they even went further. Because in addition to enamel, which follows the slightest undulation in the snake's body, it offers perfectly graduated colouring, extending from light to dark green, alternating according to the model with an intense blood red. The unusually precise enamel is applied in shallow cavities in the gold form. It is fired and then polished, and the white gold surfaces are also hand polished. This creates a "Ruyi" motif, interpreted by John Howe, which traditionally attracts protection and good fortune.
The two interpretations place the snake back in the heart of its natural habitat, in line with the historic naturalistic approach that has inspired Jaquet Droz since the 18th Century. The first, luxurious dial is mother-of-pearl. It is delicately engraved with a bamboo motif, then filled with a graduated miniature painting.
The second dial is made from a mineral – another long-standing artisanal tradition from Jaquet Droz. But for this second unique piece, the choice of rock is also something special: the Sonora Sunrise. This is also a first: It has never been used by Jaquet Droz before. The atelier has chosen it for the presence of two very complementary colours within the same fragment; a soft green with black inclusions and a blood red flecked with dark marbling. Finding such a piece with such pronounced colours on such a small surface is no less difficult than cutting it into a dial only 0.8 mm thick.
Each one of these two unique pieces is worn on a green rubber strap. The sapphire back reveals a glimpse of the red gold oscillating weight that features a mother-of-pearl or Sonora Sunrise insert decorated with a Ruyi motif, driving a movement with a silicon balance spring with 68 hour power reserve.
