The Bird Repeater Falcon is an one_of_a_ kind piece. The 47 mm white gold case presents a desert scene in mother_of_ pearl and yellow and red gold engraved and painted entirely by hand.
Depicted in the scene is the millennia_old art of falconry, a tradition listed as UNESCO intangible heritage since 2012, the same year the Bird Repeater was first released. The falcon is a national treasure in the United Arab Emirates.
In the foreground of the piece, a pair of falcons tends to two chicks in a red gold nest engraved and painted by hand. One bird bends down to deliver a beak full of food to its baby, while the other spreads its wings, revealing delicate nuances of color. A chick hatches from an egg inside the nest.
In the background Jaquet Droz depicts two falconers –father and son– in white djellaba robes. On the left of the onyx dial, a motherofpearl disk hovers over the dunes like a mirage, floating, evanescent. A painted oasis is barely perceptible, seemingly becoming more distant the closer one approaches, like a reallife mirage. The scene unfolds beneath a motherofpearl sky that illuminates the yellow gold sands. The delicate relief of the handengraved dunes is spotlighted by a polished finish. This unusually complex automaton comes to life to the sound of an impressive Fine Watchmaking complication: the minute repeater. It can chime the hours, quarterhours and minutes on demand via the cathedral gongs nestled inside the movement. Activated by a pushpiece on the side, the movement is fitted with a wheel regulator so silent that it allows these precious falcons to be heard spreading their wings to the astonishment of the owner.
