Jaquet Droz Inspires Oscar Winning Film “Hugo”

Swiss watchmaker Jaquet Droz was especially proud to hear that Martin Scorsese and his film, HUGO took home its five Academy Awards this past Sunday—including one for Best Cinematography.

In a recen LA Times article, Mr. Dick George, the prop maker for the film, credited Jaquet Droz automatons as his inspiration for the robots in the movie—giving renewed relevance to an innovation that spans nearly three hundred years.

These  masterpieces are currently touring in Switzerland under the exhibition name “Automates et Merveilles.”

Pierre Jaquet Droz was not only an ingenious watchmaker, but well known for perfecting and marketing sophisticated automatons. His work culminated with three humanoid robots: The Writer, The Draughtsman and The Musician, which were presented in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1774. These three masterpieces, admired by connoisseurs from all over the world, are today still revered as engineering feats.