Jaquet Droz presents the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl
The maison of Jaquet Droz unveils the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl, a marvellous combination of feminine beauty and watchmaking virtuosity
Straddling the worlds of Haute Horlogerie and high jewellery, the latest offering from Jaquet Droz – the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl – would definitely win first place in a lady’s “lust-have” list.
Grande Seconde is at the heart of the Jaquet Droz legend. A model harking back to the Enlightenment, this bold design was a permanent departure from watches that simply told time. Pierre Jaquet-Droz was the impetus behind time becoming a series of artistic moments of musings and journeys. The Grande Seconde carries the very essence of the 18th century when the brand began its story.
Now Jaquet Droz has put a new twist on this iconic piece by choosing one of the most beautifully luminescent materials: mother-of-pearl. Fragile and delicate, it demands amazing dexterity to prevent chipping; a condition that the brand, with its tradition of mineral dials, easily fulfills.
The shimmering effects play off the gleam of red gold on the 39 MM case set with brilliant-cut diamonds plus the highlight on the dial and the folding clasp. Roman numeral indexes for hours and minutes are a touch of classicism in their own right, accentuating the blued-steel hands. Laid on a white satin strap, there is also a bit of mystery about the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl, such as the gold oscillating weight adorned with white mother-of-pearl and the movement’s bridges with a fanned Côtes de Genève design.
Priceless and discerning, the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl is an irresistibly feminine watch equipped with a tourbillon, one of the masterpieces of watchmaking complications. Countering the effects of gravity on the mechanics, tourbillons are a window into their own untold complexity.
Like a tiny hypnotic sculpture deserving of high-precision surgery, this is the first time Jaquet Droz has given it a silicon balance spring and pallet horns. Flexible yet sturdy silicon is rust-proof as well as impervious to magnetism, non-extreme temperature changes, and atmospheric pressure. The balance spring gives the timepiece unmatched time-telling precision.
The silhouette of the number is reminiscent of the dial’s design imbued with the light of mother-of-pearl and the shimmer of diamonds. While the dial and sub-dial are of white mother-of-pearl with an applied ring set with 90 diamonds; the watch case is of 18-karat red gold set with 260 diamonds; and a buckle set with 32 diamonds. The timepiece is adorned with 382 diamonds in all, IF to VVSI, Full cut, D to G, totalling 1.76 carats, and is water-resistant to 30 M.
The indications for the hours and minutes are at 6 o'clock, while the tourbillon frame and seconds are placed at 12 o'clock. The powerful Jaquet Droz 25JD.Si, self-winding tourbillon movement beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 7 days. The watch is a limited edition series of 88 pieces.
