CODE N° 1 / GRANDE SECONDE
Its elegance is a promise of eternity. Never before in the history of watchmaking has boldness of design been illustrated with such nobility, while conserving the purity that all the Grande Seconde models have been reasserting for over two hundred years. On a single dial, the hours and minutes counter, off-centered at 12 o'clock, embraces the seconds counter, situated at 6 o'clock, with echoes of Avant-Garde poetry, aesthetics at the very core of the identity of Jaquet Droz. From the 18th century to the third millennium, the Grande Seconde has been the eternal source of inspiration for the Manufacture of La Chaux-de-Fonds: a timeless icon in extremely exclusive interpretations which evolve with time and with each new collection. Outlined with pearls or precious stones and clad in Grand Feu enameling or rare minerals, the Grande Seconde represents both prodigious history and the present moment and leaves the promises of the future to the imagination with the majestic elegance of its lines.
CODE N° 2 / THE 8
Formed by two subdials on the watch face, this symbol suggests the rarity of limited editions and exclusive models produced in small numbers. Representing infinity and eternity, the number 8 is one of the Manufacture's most distinctive and magical numerological references. Jaquet Droz subdials play with Arabic and Roman numerals, treating each passing moment as unique. In other words, they offer a new perception of Time.
CODE N° 3 / GRAND FEU ENAMELING
Grand Feu enameling is one of the expert techniques that constitute the signature of a Jaquet Droz watch. Combining traditional production methods with latest-generation technology, the dial-makers at Jaquet Droz have kept up with the latest developments in timepieces and the technical constraints that they involve. Today, the techniques required to make a thin watch dial of impeccable design have no more secrets for our master craftsmen. Relying on the subtle interaction of ultra-fine powders and precision kilns, our dial-makers are the sole guardians of the formula that yields these magnificent dials, whose color and graining are absolutely unique. Once a piece is finished, it is inalterable. The enamel will retain its beauty and gloss for centuries, withstanding the ravages of time indefinitely.
A distinctive signature of Jaquet Droz timepieces since the 18th century, Grand Feu enameling has been reinterpreted by the brand in its contemporary collections.
CODE N° 4 / THE WATCH CASE
At Jaquet Droz, a watch case is like a treasure chest full of mechanical wonders to track time. Handsomely curved and perfectly sized, it was carefully conceived to contain remarkable movements. This design expresses choices, desires and yearnings in the strength of steel, the majestic gleam of white or red gold, the unalterable elegance of the ceramic material, or the lightness of the titanium. The Manufacture believes that each watchcase is absolutely essential, whether it has a screw-type back or comes in one piece. Each one undergoes no fewer than 80 different operations. That's why Jaquet Droz prizes the hands of its master craftsmen above any manufacturing tool.
CODE N° 5 / THE MOVEMENT
Founded nearly three centuries ago, Jaquet Droz has always incorporated cutting-edge watchmaking technology into its time-keeping creations. Jaquet Droz mechanical self-winding and manually wound movements are all engraved with a clover, the secret signature of the founder of the Manufacture.
The bridges and plates are adorned with Côtes de Genève ribbing, while the luxurious sunray motif on the oscilling body is visible through the transparent case back: a sunburst or spiral motif for classic timepieces or those with complications, hollowed out for sports watches.
CODE N° 6 / COMPLICATIONS
In a never-ending quest to surpass its own achievements, Jaquet Droz takes the inventiveness of its luxury watches – and the pride of their possessors – to new heights. When its founder first established his watchmaking business in 1738, he specialized from the start in ultra-luxurious timepieces that featured musical mechanisms, automata or Grand Complications.
This precious sunburst harbors sophisticated complications: tourbillon, minute repeater, equation of time, perpetual calendar, jumping hour or chronograph. Time does not express itself in one dimension alone. This inspired Jaquet Droz to focus on all of the codes connected with its plurality, from the retrograde date hand to the indication of moon phases.
CODE N° 7 / NUMERUS CLAUSUS
Real luxury is rare. With its one-of-a-kind creations and its Numerus Clausus editions limited to 8, 28 or 88 pieces, Jaquet Droz also masters the art of exclusivity. This is truly the world of Haute Horlogerie, an eternal quest for elegance and technical perfection.
CODE N° 8 / MINERALS
Throughout the ages, man has contemplated the stars and the most beautiful planet of all – his own – in an effort to elucidate the mysteries of Time. In honor of this endeavour, begun at the dawn of time, Jaquet Droz has fashioned inimitable watch dials from noble materials, treasures drawn from the depths of the Earth and from outer space. These dials offer the poetry of meteorites crossing galaxies, the geometry of rutilated inclusions in quartz, the mystery of onyx, aventurine, spectrolite, pietersite….Minerals are like the memory of the Earth and our galaxy. Whether they come from deep within the earth or the far reaches of space, they transform each watch dial into a fabulous journey through the infinity of time.
