In celebration of a staggering 280 years of precision watch making, Jaquet Droz unveiled a veritable treasure trove of horological delights at Baselworld earlier this year. Among the beautifully designed timepieces and unique designs, one particular creation stood out – the Signing Machine.

The brand’s founder, Pierre Jaquet-Droz, was a renowned maker of automatons, so much so that his masterpieces, The Writer, The Musician and The Draughtsman, are among the highlights on display at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History.

Centuries later, The Signing Machine stands as the ultimate tribute to this storied legacy. With its concept first unveiled to the world in 2014, it has taken four years of intensive labour and research to bring it to fruition.

A mechanical work of wonder, The Signing Machine is a beautifully designed, hand-wound device whose power reserve allows two full signatures to be drawn. In total 585 parts work in perfect unison to create these autographs, and only a specially-made Jaquet Droz pen is compatible with the gadget.

Each device is unique, holding only the signature of its owner and unlockable by a personal 4-digit pin. Almost every aspect of its appearance can be further customised, and with a price tag of HK$2.982 million, this may just be the ultimate custom-made collectible.

Text: Tenzing Thondup