Jaquet Droz, the eponymous watchmaking maison founded in 1738 by Pierre Jaquet-Droz, has paid tribute to the sophisticated automaton timepieces pioneered by its namesake, while also impressing connoisseurs with its array of decorative techniques and rare materials. The latest exclusive piece in its Automaton collection takes both disciplines to the next level, with a dial made of an extremely rare petrified wood and hosting a multi-level animated nature scene. Here’s what you need to know about the Jaquet Droz Loving Butterfly, one of the showcase timepieces from 24 watch brands exhibiting at the WatchTime Live virtual collectors’ event on October 22-24.

The Jaquet Droz Loving Butterfly Automaton has a dial made from a rare petrified wood. The 3D moving image on the dial takes its inspiration from a drawing called Le papillon conduit par l?amour (“Butterfly Driven by Love,” below), sketched in 1774 by The Draughtsman, an automaton created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s son Henri-Louis. The dial itself is made from Chinchilla Red, a type of wood petrified 140-180 million years ago and named for the far-eastern location in Australia where it is found. Dating back to the age of dinosaurs, Chinchilla Red was formed by ancient fir trees that were covered in volcanic ash and swept away by lava. One of the rarest and densest such woods known, smoothing its surface requires many hours of manual work.
The dial’s animation is based on the drawing abov...