When you think Jaquet Droz, your mind automatically shifts to the innovative automatons and singing birds the brand has managed to amaze the world with over the last 281 years. So, while you find yourself getting enamoured by the latest Magic Lotus Automaton on your wrist, the Swiss Maison is striving to excel even further in its various Métiers d’Art masteries. The latest examples of this are the Grande Second Dual Time models unveiled by the brand at the recent #TimeToMove initiative by the Swatch Group.
Available in four variations, stainless steel and 18k red gold with either a silver opaline dial or ivory Grand Feu enamel, Jaquet Droz’ latest creations are exactly what you need to perfect your wrist game.
The clean, minimal dials feature the figure-eight motif iconic to the collection. The smaller off-centred dial at 12 o’clock displays the hours and minutes for the local time while the larger dial below indicates three separate functions: small seconds indicated by the outer chapter ring, date display with the slightly inclined and applied ring and finally an azimuthal map of the Earth’s continents in silver and anthracite as viewed from the North Pole, featuring a two-tone 24-hour scale indicating the home time with the red triangle on the date disc.
The hours, minutes, and seconds – though missing from the small dial on the onyx variations – are represented using Roman numerals on the silver dial. The 24-hour indicator comes in a blue and white option for the silver versions and black and white for the onyx dials. The two red gold models, on the other hand, come in Grand Feu ivory or black enamel dials with matching red gold date and continent displays.
Powered by the twin-barrels automatic Calibre 2663H24, the caseback of the models all showcase the movement with the Cotes de Geneve seal and the three-leaf clover secret signature of the Maison on one of the bridges. Priced at CHF 15,200 for the steel and CHF 25,500 for the gold models, the Grande Seconde Dual Time watches come with handmade alligator straps with either a stainless steel clasp or a red gold ardillon buckle respectively.