The humble cuckoo clock is a reminder of simpler times, when we could be delighted by a bird popping out of a box on the hour. The Charming Bird watch from master Swiss watchmakers Jaquet Droz is a unique take on the cuckoo clock aesthetic, using 18th century automaton to make a truly breathtaking watch.

The transparent watch face lets you see all of the watch’s inner workings – cogs, pistons, gears, and all of the other bits and bobs that keep wristwatches running. That alone is lovely, but the addition of the singing bird is what makes this watch charming. The songbird sits in a transparent bubble near the bottom of the watch face. It is seemingly impossibly intricate, staying true to even the tiniest details on the bird’s feathers and eyes.

But the truly spectacular feature is the way the bird flaps its wings, moves its head and opens its mouth to sing. The action is driven by a miniaturized version of 18th century watch-making techniques, namely a piston-driven bellows system. If you’ve got your heart set on getting one, you’d better start saving your nickels now – it costs a cool half million dollars and only 28 units will ever be made. (A video of a working prototype can be seen on A Blog to Watch.)

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Although portable music players seem like a rather recent invention, they have existed in some form for hundreds of years. The one above was built in 1890 by famed Parisian automaton maker Blaise Bontems. It faithfully reproduces the sound of a bird singing beautifully via a complex series of moving parts. It was restored by Michael Start of The House of Automata.

The sounds created by this 120 year old gadget are surprisingly realistic. The bellows, gears and springs all work together to make a song that is lovely and sounds just like a live bird. The electronics of today might be able to record actual birdsong and play it back, but they can’t invent sounds from intricate moving parts like this antique. And in our humble estimation, those invented sounds are far more compelling than the reproduced ones.

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When we think of modern robots, the first things that come to mind are usually the very austere industrial kind or some whimsical children’s toy. But at one time, robots were meant for the amusement of wealthy collectors and art enthusiasts. This stunning caterpillar automaton from approximately 1820 is a wonder of both artistry and workmanship.

The working automaton, called the Ethiopian Caterpillar, was built by famed Swiss watch maker Henri Maillardet. It was built for wealthy Chinese aristocrats, as evidenced by its opulent ornamentation: rubies, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, and turquoise all set in gold. The caterpillar’s eleven jointed ring segments combine to form a “body” that undulates like a real caterpillar as it moves along on a set of tiny wheels.

The work is impressive, especially considering that it is nearly 200 years old. When the Ethiopian Caterpillar was sold at auction in 2010, it fetched a price of more than $415,000. It joins five other such caterpillars known to exist, all of which reside in prestigious art collections.

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The sophisticated electronic toys in stores today are impressive enough, but the 18th century automata of Pierre Jaquet-Droz are truly amazing. The Musician, The Draughtsman and The Writer are three mechanical dolls built by Jaquet-Droz, his son Henri-Louis and Jean-Frederic Leschot between 1768 and 1774 as advertisements for sophisticated watches. Their mechanisms are shockingly advanced for their time, and today they are thought of as distant ancestors of the modern computer. All three currently reside in the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland.

The Writer is the most complex of the trio of mechanical dolls. He writes custom text of up to 40 characters which are programmed one by one using a coding wheel. The Writer’s eyes follow the text as he writes and he periodically dips his goose feather quill in ink, then shakes it to prevent drips.

The Draughtsman is able to draw four different images using a system of changeable cams. His image library includes Louis XV, a royal couple, Cupid in a butterfly-drawn chariot, and a dog with the words “Mon Toutou” (“My Doggy”). He blows on the pencil periodically to remove accumulated dust.

The Musician is a beautiful young girl who plays an organ. The music is not recorded; rather, it is actually created by the doll’s fingers pressing the keys of her custom-made instrument. Her movements are amazingly realistic, including following her finger movements with her eyes, “breathing,” and balancing her torso as a real piano player would do.

The post Like Clockwork: Incredible 18th Century Swiss Automatons first appeared on Gajitz.