This ain't no puppy love.

It is no secret that that Swiss watchmakers have been wooing wealthy Chinese collectors for the better part of the past decade. And as with all manner of courtship, the ones giving chase have to work hard to please, that’s why we have been seeing a proliferation of classic dial designs and ornate offerings with motifs inspired by Chinese culture.

When it comes to a legit romance, however, no brand comes close to Jaquet Droz, which has been selling timepieces to Chinese royalty as early as the 18^th century. So as the Chinese Year of the Dog rolls around, aficionados looking for an auspicious – and authentic – timepiece to mark the occasion know better than to check out what the brand has in store.

 

 

And Jaquet Droz doesn’t disappoint. Drawing on its artisanal pedigree and in-house team of talented artists and craftsmen, the brand offers two stunning creations: Petite Heure Minute Dog (above) and Petite Heure Minute Dog Relief, offered in two executions each.

The Petite Heure Minute Dog flaunts Jaquet Droz’s prowess in miniature painting, executed with a light palette and fastidious strokes resulting in tiny masterpieces that appear to combine Chinese water colour painting technique and a western Classicism style of painting. Offered in two sizes – 35mm (with diamonds) and 39mm – the red gold cases frame grand feu enamel dials depicting a Pekingese dog at play against bucolic backdrops, with a dash of red peonies softening the scene for the smaller ladies’ version.

Even more ornate is the Petite Heure Minute Dog Relief (above), which has Jaquet Droz’s craftsmen bringing their A-game in gold engraving. The attention to detail on the two models, in red or white gold cases, is astounding. The relief engraving is incredibly intricate, resulting in a textured and three-dimensional work of art that evokes ancient Chinese folding screens.

Elsewhere, setting the engraving work against the ‘Sonora Sunrise’ mineral stone with its brilliant red hues is an ace move. The colour of the stone not only accentuates the engraving work, but is also deemed to be an auspicious hue by the Chinese. However, with all four Petite Heure Minute Dog models capped at 28 pieces each, the question is: who’s lucky enough to get one?

Case	35mm red gold with diamonds (Petite Heure Minute Dog) 39mm red gold (Petite Heure Minute Dog) 41mm red gold or white gold with diamonds (Petite Heure Minute Dog Relief)
Dial	Ivory grand feu enamel with miniature painting (Petite Heure Minute Dog) Red or white gold engraved dial (Petite Heure Minute Dog Relief)
Movement	Jaquet Droz 2653 automatic movement
Strap	Aligator leather
Functions	Hours and minutes
Power  Reserve	68 hours
Price	S$49,000 (Petite Heure Minute Dog in red gold) S$59,000 (Petite Heure Minute Dog in red gold) S$109,000 (Petite Heure Minute Dog Relief in red gold) S$124,000 (Petite Heure Minute Dog Relief in white gold)