Cat & Mouse Automation

Reviving a tradition.

By bringing to life a stylised cat ready to bound on its prey from a block of solid obsidian, the design is reviving the exceptional vital force that animated the works of Sandoz. Its lean, geometric outlines make a clear reference to Art Nouveau style. The mechanism of the automaton clock drives the circular motion of the cat in a one-hour circuit. Every time the feline falls upon the white gold diamond-set mouse, the latter leaps away, constantly escaping. To make this animation even more fun, the rodent’s jumps come at irregular intervals. The lateral hour ring turns through a 12-hour rotation, while a fixed claw indicates the hour: a nod to the fantastic tradition of the animated mechanical objects of the 18th Century, whose sole purpose was to entertain and delight the spectator.