The Limited Edition Grande Seconde Black Ceramic Power Reserve Clous de Paris by Jaquet Droz

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A Jaquet Droz, like all famous watch brands, is always recognisable by its visual shorthand: the figure-eight dial arrangement of one smaller subdial for the hours and minutes at the top, overlapping a larger subdial for the independent seconds indication at the bottom. The design is very old and traditional, and Jaquet Droz embellishes this manner of timekeeping with variations such as an unbalanced style introduced in the new Jaquet Droz Black Ceramic Power Reserve Clous de Paris – the clous de Paris dial face decoration gives the watch even more character, against the black ceramic case.

Jaquet Droz watches are almost always large, yet appropriately elegant with a narrow bezel and a big, broad sapphire crystal with a fine convex curve. At 44mm in diameter, light hits the watch case’s curves and edges and ergonomically curved lugs to bring dimension to the dashing timepiece. The grooved winding crown is covered in black, with two tiny Jaquet Droz stars lightly engraved onto the crown’s surface. Turning the crown to wind the mainspring is delightfully crisp and silent.

The figure-eight of the overlapping subdials comes superimposed over the clous de Paris pattern, also known as ‘hobnail’ or ‘Paris hobnail’. The pattern motif is a unique type of guilloché embossing using hollowed lines that intersect to form tiny pyramidal shapes. The result is a distinct yet subtle sense of depth that adorns the watch face.

Two sword-shaped hour and minute hands, made of 18k gold, sweep over white Roman numerals on the top subdial. Surrounded by tiny dot markers, the top subdial tells time with classic Jacquet Droz flair. The lower subdial features a longer, thinner gold hand that is all the more elegant as it reflects the running seconds, similarly enclosed by tiny dot markers. A signature of Jaquet Droz, the larger subdial uses Arabic numerals in stark contrast with the top subdial, and meant obviously as the dominant dial as the 5, 6, 7 of the hours-and-minutes are in Arabic within the overlap. It is a beautiful design notch that flawlessly marries the two faces.

Defining the timepiece’s identity is the power-reserve indicator. A small, pointed black-gold treated hand anchors to the left of the intersection and runs along an arc-shaped golden curve deliberately matched with the hands on the two subdials. The curve is wider at the bottom to represent a fully wound mainspring, and thin at the top to represent a depleted power reserve. The watch possesses a self-winding mechanism, which keeps the power replenished without winding the crown. It has a reserve of 68 hours at full ‘charge’. At nearly three days, the watch will never run out as long as it remains latched onto one’s wrist.

Jaquet Droz’s self-winding Caliber 4063D-S is on display through a sapphire window on the caseback, secured by four black-coated screws in recessed corners, made in-house at the watchmaker’s manufacturer in the Swiss watchmaking hub of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The heavy metal motor, with its radiating lines and relief Jaquet Droz two-stars emblem is painted in black PVD to aesthetically compliment the black case.  Côtes de Genève furnish the ruthenium-coated plates and bridges beneath the rotor; the balance, oscillating at 28,800 vph, is ostensibly visible, while the twin mainspring barrels, which store the 68 hours of running autonomy, are more discreetly placed.

Surprisingly, the watch strap of the supreme timepiece is more dressed down. It is a black fabric attached to the lugs by screws and fastening with a double-folding clasp made of ceramic and stainless steel, treated with black PVD in tandem with the watch body. The decision to implement a fabric strap is more carefully calculated than not, as the texture of the strap is effortlessly reminiscent of the clous de Paris pattern on the watch face. To finish up the design with more flair, the two-star motif appears on the bridge where two ends of the buckle attach, the strip of black leather adds sturdiness to the buckle’s perforated holes, and the Jaquet Droz logo graces on the buckle as an engraving.

The Jaquet Droz Grande Second Power Reserve Black Ceramic Clous de Paris is a limited edition timepiece with only 28 pieces in the world, and retails for $16,800.

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