Reuge makes the birds sing

Born in the 18th century, snuff boxes – called tabatières in French – were a major, often bespoke personal and valuable possession. Nowadays, Reuge counts among the rare few that can master this level of intricacy.

The Maison based in Sainte-Croix recently unveiled a trilogy of snuffboxes revealing an elegant magic trick. An oval cover lifts and reveals a singing bird that literally pops out. The colourful animal, composed of 28 parts, in titanium and white gold, flaps its wings and moves every joint of its small body in unison with an enchanting tune. The performance is so accurate that it almost sounds like a real bird. This new collection attest to Reuge’s ability to draw inspiration from and recreate the nature surrounding it.

The bird’s tune stems from an extendable pair of bellows that is stored, much like an accordion pleat, alongside the mechanical movement. The making of this leather gusset requires a dexterity anchored in a tradition that very few craftsmen possess. The single most important prerequisite to ensure, by dint of long hours of work, that the gusset is both airtight and water-resistant. Even a tiny air leakage could turn the bird’s song into a whisper. The result is an organic sound such purity that you could almost close your eyes and imagine hearing an actual birdsong in the midst of Nature.

The motion is determined by an automaton enclosed in a transparent casing, alongside the gusset. Reuge has managed to reproduce the bird’s exact movements, right down to pairing a tilt of the head with a flapping of the wings. The assembly of different and complex parts under a single mechanical movement, composed of 250 pieces, is an absolute feat of craftsmanship. Three choices of colour are available: blue, fuchsia and silver.

November 05, 2020