THE SOUND OF MUSIC

According to Jaquet Droz’s new slogan, some watches tell the time, while others tell a story. The surprising Tropical Bird Repeater belongs to the second category.

In 2012, Jaquet Droz delighted us with an incredible watch combining the brand’s watchmaking talents and its expertise in creative automata. Since then, there have been several limited editions in the same spirit with their shared feature being an animated image on a dial decorated by miniaturist painters and engravers. For the Tropical Bird Repeater, the lush decor recalls illustrations from naturalist encyclopaedias of the 19^th century. Plants are bathed in a heavenly light. A waterfall adds a touch of freshness. Animals flourish in this exuberant world, with seven animations lasting up to 12 seconds and with 4 different scenes. A peacock deploys its tail and folds it again. A toucan appears at 3 o’clock and opens its large beak. Dragonflies awaken at 9 o’clock and provide a striking nocturnal show with their wings coated in Super-LumiNova®. The high point is a hummingbird! During its flight, its wings beat up to 40 times a second. The highly realistic display of the hummingbird, like the other animals, is orchestrated by a new mechanical movement.

The Tropical Bird Repeater also displays the hours and minutes on a simple and elegant onyx disc. In any event, just eight collectors will have the chance to enjoy it to the full…

Price on request jaquet-droz.com

By Dan Diaconu

READING ASTRAL TIME

Jaquet Droz’s flagship collection now includes a major complication, the moon phase. Three new models harmoniously combine the Grande Seconde with the queen of the night.

Introduced at BaselWorld this year, the Grande Seconde Moon Silver by Jaquet Droz is one of three new models that have joined the Grande Seconde collection. One is made of steel, with an onyx dial, the other is made of rose gold and “Grand Feu” enamel, and this last model, with a steel case and a silvered opal dial, results in a simple and refined timepiece – two adjectives that are well suited to the brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The Grande Seconde Moon Silver’s self-winding movement provides a power reserve of 68 hours. Jaquet Droz invites us to contemplate and analyse the passing of time with a timepiece that is very easy to read thanks to a dual-level dial that has been specially designed for these three models.

Price: CHF15,700 jaquet-droz.com

By Isabelle Guignet

THE SECRET OF THE PYRAMIDS

A limited edition of a Jaquet Droz icon proves that classic watch finishes can elevate contemporary design.

The Grande Seconde is a signature collection for Jaquet Droz and stands out for the 8-shaped dial with time displays. Many believe the layout epitomises slick watchmaking and style. To showcase this iconic layout, the brand has unveiled two new black ceramic models, one with a power reserve indicator and one without. What do they have in common? They both have the stunning “Clous de Paris” finish that takes the design to another level. To create this diamond-shaped guillochage pattern that appeared in the 16^th century, the watchmaker hollows out and interweaves a row of lines to form small pyramids. To keep the same visual throughout the watch, the Grande Seconde Ceramic “Clous de Paris” fabric strap’s texture is similar to the finish on the dial. The light on this graphic monochrome piece bounces off the red gold hour and minute hands and the slim seconds hand with a counterweight.

The model with a power reserve indicator at 9 houses the self-winding Jaquet Droz 4063D movement. The other timepiece is fuelled by the 2663A-S calibre. You can see their heavy metal black PVD-coated rotors through the sapphire back. Both have a 68-hour power reserve.

The 44mm ceramic case on both Grande Seconde Ceramic “Clous de Paris” watches are engraved with their own numbers on the back. There are just 28 of both available.

Price: €14,900 – €17,200 (power reserve) jaquet-droz.com

By Dan Diaconu

SPORTS-FLAVOUR 8

SW, the range of sports-style watches by Jaquet Droz, welcomes two new steel and bi-metal watches with a link or textile strap. A modern way to highlight the famous 8 adorning the dial on the “Grande Seconde” watches

While Jaquet Droz is inseparable from dials with ivory “Grand Feu” enamel, the arts and crafts professions, the double loop forming a perfectly balanced 8 and a dark blue colour, these near-traditions are sometimes disrupted by timepieces that stand out from the rest and are more contemporary. This is the case for the SW collection, now enriched by four new models. The family of sports-style watches has been joined by the Grande Seconde SW available in two models, one made of steel and the other of rose gold, and each with a choice of straps featuring three rows of links or a resistant black textile.

The large new Jaquet Droz watch has a 45mm case equipped with a screw-in crown and moulded with black rubber, plus a notched bezel available in steel or rose gold. A sort of metal bridge separates the dial in two horizontally and meets up with two imposing pieces, placed at 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively, on the bezel and running down the sides of the case.

This elegant setting contains the calibre JD 2663A.Si-D, which is revealed through the opening in the case back. The self-winding movement runs at 28,800 vibrations an hour (4Hz) and provides 68 hours of power reserve – like most timepieces made by the watchmakers from La Chaux-de-Fonds – with the help of a double barrel.

The black dial on the Grande Seconde SW with its gentle satiny tones is adorned with a silver or golden bevelled figure 8. Each of the loops in the magic number embraces a sunken subdial: the hours and minutes, off-centred at 12 o’clock and displayed with luminous-tipped hands, and the famous Grande Seconde with its slender second hand and a moon-tipped counterweight placed towards 6 o’clock.

Price: 15,150 CHF (steel) – 18,600 CHF (steel on steel) – 20,450 CHF (steel/rose gold on textile) – 28,100 CHF (steel/rose gold on metal) jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

CONSTELLATION OF GLITTERING GOLD

Producing a paillon – a French word that is the origin of the neologism “paillonnage” – is a traditional technique borrowed from the 18^th century, a painstaking art that was considered for a time old-fashioned, but has gradually returned to the limelight, particularly in watchmaking, thanks to Jaquet Droz. This artistic technique is often reserved for goldsmiths and jewellers, and consists in cutting out a gold, silver or even copper leaf to obtain small spangles in a range of shapes and patterns.

For the new Ateliers d’Art Paillonnage watch collection, these small gold fragments mainly depict the outline of a blue tit, Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s favourite bird, and now a symbol of his brand. They are applied in a geometrical shape across a “Grand Feu” enamel surface to form a tapestry that is then covered and protected by a layer of translucent enamel.

The latest watches made by Jaquet Droz feature rose gold cases and are available in two colours, a superb royal blue and a deep burgundy red, showing off the golden paillons. The Ateliers d’Art Paillonnage collection comes in six pieces, two Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée models, two Grande Seconde Paillonnée models, a Grande Seconde Tourbillon Paillonnée and a Pocket Watch Paillonnée. All these timepieces, excepting the pocket watch, are powered by automatic mechanisms, and most of them provide 68 hours of power reserve. The Grande Seconde Tourbillon Paillonnée, however, has an exceptional autonomy of up to seven days (168 hours).

The dials, with their blue and red “Grand Feu” enamel, and flecked with golden spangles, feature a white mother-of-pearl disc, for the Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée, and two interlocking counters forming a perfect 8, for the rest of the collection. All the hands are made of blued steel, with lancine-type hands for the hours and minutes.

Prices from 38,900 to 122,600 CHF jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

SEASON AFTER SEASON

Following the models depicting autumn and winter, Jaquet Droz unveils two new handcrafted timepieces that exalt the beauty of spring and herald the arrival of summer.

When you leave Paris, London, or any other major European city, to come and live in Switzerland, the first thing that hits you is the change of seasons. It is much more noticeable and nature reflects each of these changes with orange hues cloaking the trees in September and the pink and lilac-tinted evening skies in summer. When you hike in the mountains or walk along the banks of a lake, you see bright and colourful flora and fauna. This blooming nature resounding to birdsong that we enjoy today, went hand in hand with Pierre Jaquet-Droz, the founder of the eponymously-named watchmaker, back in the 18^th century. Nature was more than just a companion to the watchmaker, it was a muse and an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The Jaquet Droz brand pays tribute to this love of nature with two stunningly beautiful timepieces: Petite Heure Minute Seasons.

These two watches are literally feats of magic and complement an existing duo that depict the two cold seasons of autumn and winter. This time, spring and summer take pride of place and to create them, Jaquet Droz has used all its craftsmanship and artistic expertise in sculpting and engraving, miniature painting on mother of pearl, stone setting and, of course, mechanical prowess. There are just 88 examples of each of these works of art, with an individual serial number engraved on the back of the case.

The Petite Heure Minutes Seasons model dedicated to spring (my favourite), is a 41mm diameter piece in white gold. Its lugs and chapter ring are highlighted in a double row set with 272 brilliant-cut white diamonds. The dial is opalescent mother of pearl dial, painted with a branch of plum blossom. Each pink corolla has green leaf buds and the meticulous nature of the work is strikingly realistic. At the bottom of the dial, the plum blossom branch forms a perch for a couple of blue tits with their wings spread. These bird appliques in pink gold have been hand-sculpted, hand-engraved and hand-painted. A domed sapphire glass display protects this painting and gives it depth by emphasising the relief offered by the plump bodies of the two birds. The hours and minutes are offset towards midday and feature two spear-shaped hands in blue stainless steel.

The summer version of this timepiece, made by Jaquet Droz, has warm, golden, chocolate hues with a bright dial, quite different to the model described above. The blue tits look the same and are in the same place, but they appear to be hopping about in a field of sunflowers with their golden petals opened up to the sun. Two spear-shaped hour and minute hands in pink gold adorn the case.

Each timepiece features a JD 2653.Si calibre self-winding mechanical movement with a silicon balance spring and double barrel, giving it a power reserve of 68 hours.

Price: 63,750 CHF (Summer) 73,450 CHF (Spring) jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

RAYS OF STEEL AND RAYS OF SILVER

The watchmaker from Chaux-de-Fonds has released two new versions of its famous Grande Seconde Quantième – available in two diameters – with dials coloured silver grey and steel grey.

Two of the typical hallmarks of Jaquet Droz watches are at the heart of this Grande Seconde Quantième duo. First of all, although the dials are neither “Grand Feu” enamel nor mineral, as they generally are in the watchmaking collections by the Chaux-de-Fonds brand, they still have all the purity that gives them their elegance. No excess flourishes or sense of narrowness – just space. A great deal of space. Secondly – and this is one of the symbolic strengths of the Swiss watchmaker – a large 8 formed by the fusion of two counters extends its loops over the dial with masterful sophistication.

This Grande Seconde Quantième Satin-Brushed duo, introduced at BaselWorld 2017, was a success from the very opening of the trade fair. All the aesthetic codes and mechanical power of Jaquet Droz are on display in these two watches with prices under the threshold of 10 000 Swiss francs. Another attractive element for the Grande Seconde Quantième Satin-Brushed that will widen its clientele even more.

In fact, this model model has two faces – one silver grey and the other steel grey – and two diameters – 39 and 43mm. Theses choices will also help attract more customers and fans of Jaquet Droz.

Each dial is adorned with a satin-brushed finish and fine sunburst engravings, with rays beginning not at the heart of the dial, as is the case in most watches, but near 6 o’clock, where the long second hand and the varnish-tipped date hand are centred. These two displays are, in fact, grouped in a single counter, with lowered edges to house the date, encircled by the second markers. At the 31st day of the month (shown in red), this sub-dial interlocks with the hour and minute counter to form the magic number 8.

Ringed by white markers against a black background, the hour rim, made up of applied indices, is the setting for a couple of silver or blue lancine-style hands, displaying the hours and the minutes.

At the heart of the steel case, measuring 39 or 43mm in diameter, is housed the JD2660Q2.P calibre. This automatic mechanical movement has a double barrel, and provides 68 hours of power reserve, while driving the hours and minutes (offset at 12 o’clock on the dial) and the seconds and the date (brought together at 6 o’clock).

Price: 9 750 CHF jaquet-droz.com

By Yannick Ortolan

A PRINCESS DRESSED IN PINK

As ever, the watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds elegantly blends some of the natural beauties provided by the Earth: rare minerals with soft colours, a warm-toned metal and sparkling precious stones

There are several categories of precious stones: the ones whose value is set by their price on the specialised markets; the ones whose rarity earns them the spotlight; and then the ones whose aesthetic appearance is quite simply… breathtaking! Astorite belongs to the last category. It is certainly not a well-known mineral, but it stands out because of its impressive colour, half way between candy pink and Persian pink, and flecked with silver grey or anthracite grey spangles. So it was natural for the master of stone mineral dials, Jaquet Droz, to use astorite on the face of its Petite Heure Minute Astorite model, limited to 28 pieces.

Astorite is named after John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912), a very rich American businessman and army officer of German origin, who died during the dramatic sinking of the Titanic. An investor in valuable real estate, John Jacob Astor IV also owned a mine in San Juan, Colorado, where astorite was mined. On the death of the American magnate, in 1912, the entrance to the mine was blocked by dynamiting, but was reopened almost a century later, in 2001.

The Petite Heure Minute Astorite by Jaquet Droz has a face featuring two colours and two materials. There is a pink disc made from a single piece of astorite, cut and polished by hand, on which a second, smaller disc is placed, made of white mother-of-pearl, and bevelled with a pink gold ring. The white disc contains a set of golden, lancine-style hands showing the hours and minutes.

This mineral ying yang is adorned by a double ring of diamonds (232 stones with a total of 1.23 carats) running along the bezel and the outer side of the pink gold lugs. The case measures 35mm in diameter and houses the automatic JD2653.P calibre. This movement made by Jaquet Droz, containing a double barrel, provides a power reserve of up to 68 hours.

The Petite Heure Minute Astorite model is worn with a grey satin strap with a gold pin buckle.

Price on request. jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

THE NOBLE 8 

The watchmaking firm from La Chaux-de-Fonds has inscribed its famous lucky number 8 at the centre of a white mother-of-pearl disc enhanced with gold and diamonds, with a tourbillon taking centre stage.

“In art, as elsewhere, only purity is important to me,” wrote André Gide (1869-1951), the French writer born almost a century after the death of the founder of Jaquet Droz, Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721-1790). And the noun “purity”, describing something faultless and untouched by time is no doubt what characterises the watches designed at the workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and especially the Grande Seconde model. For the next BaselWorld, Jaquet Droz has adorned this essential timepiece with new aesthetic and mechanical finery.

Called the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl, the watch is bedecked with white mother-of-pearl, red gold and diamonds. The watch face is made from an iridescent disc and features several levels, offering a deep visual impression. At the heart of this opalescent surface is a red gold structure set with 90 diamonds and three blue screws drawing the outline of a majestic “8” on the watch face. Circled with precious stones and offset at 6 o’clock are the hours and minutes, represented by two blue lancine-style hands moving across an hour rim with black Roman numerals. The upper loop of the 8 is formed by a glass display under which the tourbillon can be seen. A small, blue second hand displays the seconds on a scale with Arabic numerals and dots.

The red gold case measures 39mm in diameter and is highlighted by a double ring of diamonds (260 stones with a total of 1.41 carats) running along the bezel and the outer side of the lugs. This setting houses an automatic mechanism, the 25JD.Si calibre. “Si” is for silicon, used to make the spikes of the anchor and the spiral – providing a big power reserve of seven days. Through the sapphire background adorning the back of the case, you can see the dance of the red gold mechanism, inlaid with white mother-of-pearl.

A white satin strap rounded off by a gold buckle set with diamonds completes this new Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl.

Price on request. jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

A universally symbolic creature cherished by the world of Jaquet Droz, the singing bird now appears in two new versions which put mechanical virtuosity hand in hand with contemporary poetry.