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Jaquet Droz Honors Ben Grossman; Academy Award Winner for Best Visual Effects for 'Hugo'

May 8, 2012. Beverly Hills , CA . On May 4th, in partnership with Feldmar Watch Company, luxury watch brand, Jaquet Droz hosted a private event at The Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.

Ben Grossman; Academy Award Winner for Best Visual Effects for 'Hugo' was the guest of honor. The event celebrated innovation and the remarkable connection between the film and Jaquet Droz.

"The automaton design that Martin Scorsese approved for the film was from Jaquet Droz" said Grossman during a speech that evening. "It was after the movie was done that I discovered that the Jaquet Droz automatons still work and exist. They were in a sense the first computers. In the movie we had to use magnets, motion controls, and special effects to try to recreate it".

Grossman was presented with a one of a kind Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantième timepiece, with special engraving on the back and a customized stamp on the sapphire glass. The evening showcased Jaquet Droz's artist from Switzerland hand painting on enamel - an extraordinary technique that is part of the watchmaker's tradition.

Born in 1721, Pierre Jaquet Droz was well known for perfecting and marketing sophisticated automatons, including three humanoid automata: The Writer, The Draughtsman and The Musician, which were presented in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1774. The Jaquet Droz Automatons are currently being exhibited in Switzerland and touring through the end of September.

For information on the "Automates et Merveilles" tour visit www.jaquet-droz.com  

    

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About Jaquet Droz

SINCE 1738, A LEGEND INTIME

Since it was first established in 1738, Jaquet Droz has perpetuated the spirit of innovation and aesthetic refinement of its founder, Pierre Jaquet Droz. The first watchmaker to set up shop in Geneva, this ingenious inventor and man of uncommon vision conquered the royal courts of Europe and China with his stunning creations: fabulous humanoid automata and precious musical watches. Expressing the values of the Age of Enlightenment, this elegant and well-traveled philosophy still forms the core of our identity. Jaquet Droz timepieces have always combined design, materials with the most unexpected mechanical refinements. The most elaborate complications are beautifully showcased with the purity of enamel or the luster of pearls and precious stones. The Manufacture's exclusive spirit is intact after nearly three centuries, as attested by its exquisite dials, made to order from precious minerals and rare woods, its ultra-select collections and its Numerus Clausus limited editions. At Jaquet Droz, we remain true to our time-honored goal, namely, to push back the limits of the watchmaker's art for your greater pleasure.