Manufacture Reuge is the world’s only Maison to still craft singing bird boxes and automata today, and remains dedicated to preserving and continuing this extraordinary tradition.
In 1960, following its acquisition of the illustrious Parisian house of Bontems, Reuge – already celebrated worldwide for its exquisite music boxes – took over the design and manufacturing of mechanical singing birds. The next milestone on this journey was in 1977, when Reuge welcomed the renowned German bird automata specialist Eschle into its fold to further enrich its savoir-faire and expand its offering.
In 1780, Swiss master watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz crafted a mechanical singing bird that flawlessly imitated its living counterpart. Powered by a sophisticated bellows system, this automaton could whistle a pre-set melody. Remarkably, when placed in a cage with a live canary – especially prized for its melodious song – it could even teach the bird to sing popular tunes.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it became a fashionable trend in French high society to own a canary trained in this way. However, the ultimate symbol of prestige was to possess one of these exquisite mechanical singing birds.