The Swiss watchmaking house Jaquet Droz is not the first (and possibly not the last) manufacturer to implement minerals (as well as other ‘low-tech’ materials like, say, wood) in the design of their timekeepers. However, their dressy Grande Seconde series gains the most from this beautiful mix of inexpensive, yet highly decorative stones that serve as dials, and precious, finely polished rose gold body and parts. Meet the new Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Minerals.
Currently, Jaquet Droz offers the new model in as many as five versions that have their dials crafted from astorite, red moss agathe, jadeite, beautiful lapis lazuli (ref. J003033363), and masculine bronzite (ref. J003033357).
While the first four of this list feature their off-centered sub-dials decorated with white mother-of-pearl inlays, the last comes with an even more attractive opaline silvered sub-dial, which is nicely accented with three blued screws and three steel hands, also heat-blued.
Just like their new Grande Seconde Off-Centered Ivory Enamel (the beautiful self-winding watch was presented earlier this year,) the Grand Seconde Minerals features a nice mix of Roman and Arabic numerals on its overlapping sub-dials.
As you can see, the Roman numerals are converted to Arabic digits in the sector when the main dial overlaps the large seconds sub-dial thus underlining its visual and semantic superiority.
According to the official press release, the watch is animated with their JD 2663 automatic caliber (it is basically the same Frederic Piguet FP1150 base caliber that was extensively modified and painstakingly re-decorated) that we have already seen in a number of other Grande Seconde models, including their elegantly rugged Grande Seconde SWROUGE model.
Featuring a double-barrel winding system and a 22-karat white gold oscillating weight, the mechanism stores enough power to keep the watch ticking for as long as 68 hours, while still remaining compact and flat.
The slightly oversized (for a dress watch, of course) body of this timekeeper sports their signature ultra-thin bezel and ergonomic, elegantly curved lugs and seems to be outsourced from the aforementioned J006033200 model.
The price is still unknown, but the watch will surely be expensive*.
See also: Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantieme
*UPDATE ON PRICE: The Swiss watchmaker will initially offer the collection at a recommended price of $22,500. While expensive, it doesn’t deviate too much from other members of the Grande Seconde family crafted from rose gold and equipped with the same beautifully and extensively modified automatic calibers.
Photos: Jaquet Droz
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Minerals specification
Price: $25,500 (MSRP, ref. J003033357 with natural bronzite mineral dial)
Movement: Automatic, JD 2663 (base caliber Frederic Piguet FP1150), double barrel, modified and decorated in-house, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 30
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 68 hours
Movement decoration: Oscillating weight in 22-karat white gold
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Case: 18-karat rose gold, polished
Shape: Round
Size: 43.00 mm
Case height: 11.50 mm
Dial: Astorite, Red Moss Agathe, Jadeite, Lapis Lazuli, Bronzite
Numerals: Arabic and Roman
Hour markers: Black
Hands: Steel, blued
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Rolled-edge hand-made black alligator leather strap with polished 18-karat red gold ardillon buckle
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Sapphire