The Rolling Stones And Jaquet Droz Automaton Watches

Jaquet Droz offers one-of-a-kind Rolling Stones customized automaton watches.

Swiss watch brand Jaquet Droz, whose motto is “Some watches tell time. Some tell a story, ” has a real story to tell with its newest introduction of unique, custom-made watches that pay tribute to one of the most legendary rock bands in history: Rolling Stones.

There will be unique pieces made for each of 23 different albums by The Rolling Stones

This particular Rolling Stones Automaton watch is one of 23 unique pieces that will be made – one for each of the 23 albums recorded by the band since 1971. Each watch – except this initial one made to showcase the brand’s concept –is customized so the owner can select the elements he or she wants on the larger outer disk (designed to reflect vinyl records). Elements include posters, album covers, pictures of the band, musical instruments and more. Each item a collector wants on the timepiece will be executed by hand by the Jaquet Droz artisans. The disk rotates on demand for about 30 seconds thanks to a complex system built into the watch that can be activated eight times in a row.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones Automaton watch is a 43mm case (this one crafted in 18-karat 5N rose gold) and on this first exemplary model, Jaquet Droz reproduces the Stones stage with Ronnie Wood’s Fender Strat, a miniaturize set of drums owned by the late Charlie Watts, Keith Richard’s five-string guitar and more. Deftly blending craftsmanship with watchmaking prowess, Jaquet Droz watchmakers showcase the power reserve at 8:00 on the dial using a cam that recalls the articulated arm of a vinyl record player. The iconic Stones logo moves up and down as the tongue simultaneously moves left and right.

Jaquet Droz, The Rolling Stones watches are all automatons with moving parts and features.

Bringing this animated scene to life is no easy feat. Master craftsmen hand carve, engrave and paint the individual elements that are made of different colors of gold and gold thread. All of the paining is done by hand to achieve the bold and vibrant colors. Via the transparent sapphire case back, the oscillating weight is engraved with the name of the chosen album. Expected retail price for each watch is about $250,000.

Each Jaquet Droz x The Rolling Stones watch is hand made.

So, which albums can you choose from? The 23 available are: Sticky Fingers 1971, Exile on Main St. 1972, Goats Head Soup 1973, It’s Only Rock’n Roll 1974, Black and Blue 1976, Love you Live (live) 1977, Some Girls 1978, Emotional Rescue 1980, Tattoo You 1981, Sill Life (live) 1982, Undercover 1983, Dirty Work 1986, Steel Wheels 1989, Flashpoint (live) 1991, Voodoo Lounge 1994, Bridges to Babylon 1997, No Security (live) 1998, A Bigger Bang 2005, Shine a Light (live) 2008, Sweet Summer Sun (live) 2013, Blue & Lonesome 2016, Totally Stripped (live) 2016, El Mocambo (live) 2022.