And there I was thinking the new Jaquet Droz Rolling Stones Watch was a one-off for the Only Watch charity gig. Turns out it was something of a prototype. The storied Swiss watchmaker is releasing a limited edition Rolling Stones watch that takes the Only Watch watch to the next level. Well, kinda.
Above and below: the 43mm OW timepiece, complete with three miniaturized guitars and a drum set, all made of gold.
In case you’re wondering what children playing with Lego, picking the petals of a rose and running through a field of yellow flowers has to do with the Rolling Stones, “it’s a fun piece evoking all the wonder of children at play.” Not the words I’d use for the Stones’ legendary blues music.
In terms of automation – the brand’s historic selling point – there’s not a lot to get hung about (to quote the Beatles). “The scene is surrounded by a second disc that rotates when the pusher is activated, while the iconic Stones tongue rises, falls, and moves from left to right.”
Fantastic craftsmanship, but I’ve got two words for the final result: big whoop. And just so you know…
John Pasche designed The Rolling Stones tongue logo (a.k.a. “Hot Lips”) in 1970. The logo’s origins are somewhat disputed (i.e., lost in a drug-addled haze), but some say it was meant to represent the band’s rebellious and provocative nature. I always saw it as deliciously salacious, like their music, but what do I know?
Here’s the new not-the-only-watch Jaquet Droz Rolling Stones watch. Micro-dosing ‘shroom addicts might lament the loss of the psychedelic swirly record. In its place, a rotating feast (beggars’ banquet?) of Stone’s record covers.
The watch’s center is now a Voodoo Lounge. Hang on! Where’s their best Stones album cover of all? One of the best album covers ever, full stop. Sheltering one of the best albums ever, including Brown Sugar (the first song I ever danced with a girl to) and Wild Horses.
That would be Warhol-designed 1971 album “Sticky Fingers.” That bad boy featured a working metal zipper on the cover over a man’s crotch in tight jeans. A Droz watch with an ascending and descending zipper would have been tacky AF, but so is this.
For those who care about such things, the Jaquet Droz 2653 AT2 self-winding, twin-barrel mechanical movement powers the piece, complete with a silicon balance spring and pallet horns and a hand-engraved winding rotor. Toto, I have a feeling we’re not wearing a Seiko anymore.
Given the engraving on the sample’s rotor – Voodoo Lounge 1994 SWL – the designer must have been Blinded by Rainbows. SWL? Stones’ Wyman Loss (it was the first Stones album without bassist Bill Wyman)? Hmmm. watchpro.com provides this explanation:
The sapphire caseback reveals the red-gold oscillating weight, engraved with the name of the album chosen by the buyer to illustrate the image under the central stage (chosen by the buyer and taken from the 23 albums released between 1971 and the present day) with its release date and the name of the studio where it was recorded.
Hopeless pedants (and Stones’ fans) unite! “Voodoo Lounge” was recorded in 1993 at Sandymount Studios (Ronnie Wood’s private studio in Ireland), Les Studios de la Fourmi (Mick Jagger’s private studio), A&M Studios in Los Angeles, Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood and NYC’s Hit Factory.
Anyway, Jaquet says they’re going to make 23 examples of the new new Jaquet Droz Rolling Stones Watch. Price on application. Which tells me they may not. Well that and the fact that this watch is both not enough of a gimmick – automaton-wise – and too much (non-elegance-wise).
I’d love to see a Jaquet Droz Rolling Stones Watch with a the Hot Lips logo sticking its tongue in and out (as opposed to wiggling back and forth). But then… say it with me, you can’t always get what you want.