Jaquet Droz – Grande Seconde Dual Time  

When you think of a “second time zone”, what always comes to mind is a busy dial drowning in counters and central hands. The watchmakers at Jaquet Droz have unveiled a more classic and incredibly stylish take on the second time zone to prove us wrong.

There are three versions of the new Grande Seconde Dual Time: silver, onyx or ivory Grand Feu enamel dial with a 43mm steel or rose gold case.

The time display is pure and simple whose functions and 65-hour power reserve are fuelled by the self-winding JD2663H24 calibre. Two dials, one off-centre at 12 and the other at 6, form the brand’s beloved figure of 8. The hours and minutes are tracked by two spear-shape hands gliding over Roman numerals. The large seconds, data display with hand and second time zone cluster together at 6.

Price: 15,200 CHF (steel) – 16,700 CHF (onyx) – 25,500 CHF (Grand Feu enamel)

By Sharmila Bertin

jaquet-droz.com

“Black is the one colour that contains and consumes all others,” said French painter and sculptor Henri Matisse (1869-1954). The intense shiny black jade dial on the Grande Seconde Décentrée Onyx plays with the light bouncing off two white gold rings that come together to form a curvy figure of 8, a signature of Jaquet Droz. The smaller one unveils the hours and minutes tracked by two rhodium-plated spear-shape hands at 2 o’ clock. The larger and more eye-catching ring takes over the black dial between 5 and 9 whilst a slim hand twirls over the seconds brought to life by the JD 2663A.P calibre. Gaze at the mechanical movement through the 43mm steel case’s sapphire back as it provides a 68-hour power reserve. The steel watch is also available with a silver dial. Price: 10,200 CHF. Sharmila Bertin
jaquet droz.com

According to the Chinese horoscope, we’ll move into the year of the fire monkey on February 8^th. The monkey, a symbol of intelligence and mischief, is celebrated by Jaquet Droz in the limited edition Petite Heure Minute Relief Singe featuring Sun Wukong, a character from classic Chinese literature nicknamed the “Monkey King”. Perched on a rose gold peach tree branch, the ape crouches against a backdrop of leaves and white mother-of-pearl that have been finely chiselled on a black lacquer dial. A gold bevelled onyx disc shines like the sun above the 3D engraving with two spear-shape hands to track the hours and minutes. The time functions and 68-hour power reserve are brought to life by the self-winding JD2653Si calibre. The sapphire back of the 41mm rose gold case reveals a monkey hanging off the gold and onyx rotor. Price: 70,200 CHF. Sharmila Bertin
jaquet-droz.com

The inauguration in 2015 of four new single-brand boutiques in China bears testimony to the Swiss watchmaker’s desire to celebrate its long-standing ties with the Middle Kingdom.

The nine Jaquet Droz boutiques in China today are all imbued with the same spirit as their driving force: to perpetuate a shared history that spans several centuries. The dialog between the watchmaking firm and the illustrious country-continent began in the 18th century, under the initiative of Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz, one of the firm’s founders, who had the idea of establishing a workshop that would produce predominantly for the Chinese market. These frequent exchanges created close and lasting bonds between China and the brand known by its twin stars. In 1783, Jaquet Droz became the first watchmaking brand to be admitted into the grounds of the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor Qianlong and his courtiers showed fascination at the originality of his creations. Certain historic pieces are still conserved today in the Museum of the Forbidden City.

True to its heritage, the brand has successfully preserved and cultivated this exceptional relationship. With desire to strengthen and promote these privileged ties, Jaquet Droz has inaugurated four new boutiques in 2015, covering three of the country’s major cities. The opening of a retail store in Beijing in May and a second location in July, along with the launch of a new location in the heart of Studio City in Macau, have sealed the beginning of a new era in the relationship between Jaquet Droz and China.

As the most recent manifestation of the lasting bonds of this shared history, on November 12th of this year, a new showcase boutique opened its doors on West Nanjing Road, a prestigious and unmissable address in the heart of Shanghai. The event was marked by festivities celebrating the themes of discovery and initiation, giving Jaquet Droz the opportunity to reiterate an ambition that has remained unchanged from its beginnings: to surprise, to fascinate, and also to tell its story.

The new boutique is outfitted with elegant showcases that present the various Jaquet Droz models as veritable works of art under carefully designed lighting.  Customers are immersed in a refined space with clean lines that play on the various tones of slate, in harmony with the minimalist scenography, true to the spirit of the brand. Several illustrations on the walls highlight the different arts and crafts that represent the pure expertise of the watchmaking firm.

For the inauguration ceremony, Jaquet Droz had an artist from its Ateliers d’Art come especially to give attendees an exclusive demonstration of the infinite refinement of miniature painting on the dial.

The event was also marked by the presentation of the Grande Seconde Deadbeat, a masterpiece of watchmaking complications that has been subtly redesigned, with its seconds hand centered on the dial. Also featured at the opening was the Charming Bird, a feat of technical and artistic prowess distinguished by its automaton in the form of a singing bird, which won an award in the “Mechanical Exception” category of the 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. True to the Jaquet Droz aesthetic, these timepieces resonate with the culture of amazement and a love of tradition, two emblematic traits that unite the Swiss watchmaker and the Middle Kingdom.
jaquet-droz.com

“Paillonnage” is an ornamental technique that’s almost three hundred years old. It involves using tiny pieces of gold leaf or “paillons” to create a raised design which is then coated in a layer of enamel to make it colourful, glossy and translucent. Burgundy enamel beams with sunray guillochage on the dial of this unique piece donated to the Only Watch charity and up for auction in Geneva on November 7^th. Surrounded by a yellow gold ring with three screws, the hour rim unfurls its Roman numerals and black minute track on a white disc. Two yellow gold hour and minute hands and the 68-hour power reserve are brought to life by the 2653P calibre. The self-winding movement features a silicon balance wheel, twin-barrel and oscillating weight in yellow gold inside the 43mm yellow gold case. Unique piece – www.onlywatch.com

Best known for its fabulous ivory Grand Feu enamel dials and figure 8 shape, the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker has surprised its admirers with a modern take on its timepieces. The steel case comes in two sizes (39 and 43mm diameter) and houses the self-winding JD1150P calibre which brings to life the 68-hour power reserve and time and date functions. The dial comes in two colours: silky silver or Côtes de Genève striped blue. The spear-shape hour and minute hands have a metallic coating on the blue model or blue steel on the silver version. The single flash of bright colour comes from the red tip on the central seconds hand. The date display at 6 o’ clock has been uniquely designed to look like two shutters opening. The hour rim dotted with rhodium markers is surrounded by a subtle minute track. Price: 9,200 – 9,400 CHF

With historic links to China that date back several centuries, the Swiss watchmaker now unveils its first showcase in the capital of the People’s Republic.

It is no accident that Jaquet Droz and China enjoy such a long-standing association. For almost three hundred years now, the brand known by its twin stars has maintained close ties with the kingdom of the Mandarins, drawn together as much by mutual fascination as by exceptional cultural exchanges.

While the royal courts of Europe were captivated by all things Oriental at the height of the Enlightenment, Jaquet Droz was the first watchmaker to present his creations inside the Forbidden City. The master from La Chaux-de-Fonds naturally brought watches, but also delighted the Qianlong Emperor and his courtiers with specialties like ornate snuff boxes, songbirds and other automata, laying the foundations for a dialogue that continues to this day. Some of these historic pieces are still carefully preserved in the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum, a testament to this fabulous saga.

The opening of the first Beijing boutique constitutes its latest chapter. On May 14, 2015, the Oriental Plaza—high temple of Chinese luxury shopping—saw Jaquet Droz unveil the clean, angular lines of its new boutique, where shades of slate harmonize with lustrous metal in a minimalist backdrop designed to enhance the elegant curves of Jaquet Droz timepieces. All the latest designs will be shown, including the Lady 8 Flower, the Grande Seconde Deadbeat and the Petite Heure Minute, like so many works of art displayed in generous glass cases under carefully considered lighting.

Hence, this May was a particularly significant month for Jaquet Droz. It was natural that the grande complication watch Charming Bird—a true masterpiece uniting all the brand’s watchmaking and decorative know-how—should alight in Beijing on May 27 before an audience of connoisseurs, watch-lovers and celebrities who admired both versions, the red gold and the white gold, each produced in a limited edition of 28. Wonder, history, craftsmanship, beauty—several centuries have passed since Jaquet Droz and China first encountered each other, yet the emotion endures.

Address: Shop AA45b, Oriental Plaza, No.1 East Chang An Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Tel: +86 10 85181789

Fluttering with butterflies and blooming with flowers: Jaquet Droz has, as usual, brightened up 2015 with his signature sophisticated poetry. The expertise that the Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker has been famous for since the 18^th century has gone into the wonderfully feminine Lady 8. The piece is bursting with lyricism and symbolism, craftsmanship and automata. The rose gold case is paved with 114 brilliant-cut diamonds and unfolds to form a figure of 8, the brand’s lucky number. Its ladylike 35mm case houses the self-winding JD615 calibre which not only brings to life the time functions but also the flower automaton. A pink-enamelled gold lotus trapped in a sapphire bubble opens and closes its petals when you press the pusher at 2 o’ clock. Time ticks by as two gold hands glide over the main guilloché rose gold dial adorned by an engraved, painted and enamelled butterfly. Price upon request

It may be a little insect whose wings are adorned with colourful patterns but the butterfly is a symbol in itself. Romantic notions of freedom and fleeting life exude from its grace and fragility as it lives for just a few hours or several weeks. In a metaphor of the body and mind’s resurrection, the butterfly goes on an 8-stage journey on the dial of the Petite Heure Minute, 8 being Jaquet Droz’s magic number. A bed of pale pink peonies or feijoa flowers (pineapple guava) burst from the garden on the 8 ivory Grand Feu enamel dials. A 3D butterfly with a sculpted body and wings enamelled in navy, turquoise or indigo flutters above the flower bed from left to right on the dials. The hours and minutes and gold or silver-plated hands are displayed off-centre at 12 o’ clock and brought to life by the JD2653 calibre. The self-winding movement is housed in a 43mm rose or white gold case paved with 264 brilliant-cut diamonds. Price: 57,000 CHF (rose gold) – 61,000 CHF (diamond white gold)

After whisking us away to a dream world of starry night skies on its poetic timepieces, the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker is taking us back to the heavens to bask in the sunshine. In an ode to the fiery orb, the aventurine glass nicknamed “Sunstone” takes on a bright hue to bathe the three models’ dials in copper light. The trio includes the iconic Grande Seconde covered in gilded crystals with a twin mother-of-pearl display rimmed with rose gold to form Jaquet Droz’s signature figure of 8. Black Roman hour numerals appear off-centre at 12 o’ clock (not including the 5, 6 and 7) whilst the seconds tick down beneath a slim seconds hand. The time functions are brought to life by the self-winding JD 2663 calibre inside the 39mm rose gold case. Price: 24,100 CHF