Jaquet Droz Ceramic Watches Embody Individualistic Elegance

It’s neat to see what Jaquet Droz has done with ceramics.  While most brands (Hublot and IWC, for example) have gone the purely sports-based route when using this fascinating and somewhat Darth Vader-esque material, Jaquet Droz has held to their own successful theme of individualistic elegance. My favorite of JD’s ceramic cased watches is the just-announced Quantieme Perpetuel Ceramique, which has to be one of the most strikingly original complicated dress watches ever created.   ( Click here to read an article on it) Continue Reading… »

Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute Medium Watch: Classicists Rejoice!

Lovers of classically-styled timepieces should delight in the beautifully elegant Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute watch–one of the additions from Jaquet Droz from Baselworld 2007.  Those who are familiar with Jaquet Droz’s nearly exclusive use of precious metals will be surprised to note that this timepiece features a 41mm case made from stainless steel.  A rarity from Jaquet Droz, the stainless steel case is every bit as finely finished as its gold counterparts.  However, being harder than gold it will likely offer better long term durability for the circumstances of many wearers.

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Jaquet Droz Grande Second SUW Watch-Exclusive, Casual Luxury For The Discerning Buyer

Jaquet Droz has taken a bold step into the sports watch arena with its Grande Second SUW watch.  Far more casual than any Jaquet Droz watch that has come before it, the SUW should be an outstanding choice for anyone seeking a sporty timepiece with exceptionally fine detailing, and an aura of true rarity.

I am drawn to the way that this Jaquet Droz watch merges dynamic and classically restrained elements; Continue Reading… »

Jaquet Droz Seule Aiguille Watch Slows Time Down…Well, Sort Of!

The Jaquet Droz Seule Aiguille watch is one of the most distinctively elegant timepieces to debut at Basel this year.  Its French name alludes to its single blued steel hour hand, which completes a revolution around the dial once every 24 hours.  But how do you tell the minutes?  Continue Reading… »

Jaquet Droz La Fleur de Temps Watch – Mother’s Day Gifts

I love the lavish, dark elegance of this Jaquet Droz La Fleur de Temps watch.  Steeped in exotic mystery and exquisite gemtsones, this Jaquet Droz ladies watch is a perfect companion for evenings and formal events. Any woman, and mother, would certainly gasp at the overwhelming beauty. Continue Reading… »

Jaquet Droz Date Astrale Watch Brings A Bit Of Magic To The Date Display

The Jaquet Droz Date Astrale watch takes an unusual–and extremely beautiful–approach to indicating this most ubiquitous of supplementary functions.  A semi-circular cut in the black opaline dial bears the days of the month.  A tiny round brilliant diamond gradually travels over this scale, indicating the date by its position; at the month end, it snaps instantly back to its zero starting position.  This is a charming and refreshingly novel retrograde display, and perfectly keeps with the many fine and unusual luxury timepieces introduced by this exclusive collector-oriented brand.

The Jaquet Droz Astrale watch is also special due to its 39mm stainless steel case.  The house of Jaquet Droz seldom employs steel in its exclusive output of luxury timepieces, preferring 18K gold, and occasionally platinum.   The Astrale is one of my favorite of Jaquet Droz introductions of 2007, and keeps me in anticipation of what classy and strikingly designed specialties the brand will offer us at this year’s Basel exhibit.

Jaquet Droz Paris 1785 Watches: Gem-Set Works Of Art

The use of diamonds, sapphires and other gemstones can bring real expressive vibrance to a watch design. What I am referring to is not merely using these gems for the hour markers, lug settings, etc.–but for an actual artistic design. The timepieces of Jaquet Droz bring us some very fine examples of this breathtaking technique.

Created for ladies, the Jaquet Droz La Fleur de Cerisier and La Fleur De Lotus timepieces from the Paris 1785 watch collection, utilize precious gemstones to evoke the beauty and subtlety of flowers. The former presents a lace-like pattern of diamonds, or colored stones such as tsavorite, various sapphires, or onyx to present a uniquely delicate dial that is unusual and extremely exotic. The La Fleur De Lotus watch utilizes a pave-set field of diamonds, pink sapphires, or tsavorites to depict a fully opened lotus flower.

The effect of both of these timepieces is breathtaking, and highlights the rare beauty which all Jaquet Droz watches demonstrate. They illustrate with profound eloquence, that a watch can be far more than a utilitarian object that tells the time.

The Jaquet Droz Chrono Monopoussoir Watch: A Chronograph Most Elegant

Among dressy chronographs, surely one of the most eye-catchingly beautiful made today is the Jaquet Droz Chrono Monopoussoir watch.  Isn’t it amazing what eliminating those chronograph buttons can do for the profile of a watch?  By utilizing a sophisticated single-push chronograph mechanism which is co-axial with the crown, Jaquet Droz has created a chronograph which has all the normal functions, but retains a wonderfully clean profile.

Monopush chronographs are quite a rarity, and this Jaquet Droz watch is stunning even among this elite list.  The dial arrangement is extraordinary and very unique with its off-centered hour and minute displays.  The stunning fire-roasted blue steel hands are another spectacular point of mention, and are as fine an example of this technique as may be found anywhere in the world today.

Choosing from the extraordinary range of exotic dials that Jaquet Droz offers for the Chrono Monopoussoir watch is probably the greatest challenge facing a prospective owner.  Traditional Grand Feu enamel? So traditional, classic and pure.  How about a stunning mineral dial like meteorite or spectralite?  Incredible, and unique.  Of course, to be faced with such a choice is a wonderful thing–regardless of your choice, you can be assured that you have selected one of the finest and most distinctive luxury chronographs in the world. 

Jaquet Droz Complication: The Quantieme Perpetuel Email Watch

One of my favorite Jaquet Droz timepieces is their stunning Quantieme Perpetuel Email watch from the Hommage La Chaux-de-Fonds 1738 Collection. In my opinion, one of the better looking perpetual calendar timepieces of recent introduction, this watch’s dial layout impresses me with its clarity, lack of clutter, and classical yet quirky elements. I particularly find the dual retrograde hands for the days of the week and the date to be visually enticing, not just for their orientation upon the dial (with an up-and-down rather than left-to-right motion) but for their exotic serpentine shape–reminiscent of the sinuous movements of a snake, or perhaps the distinctive curved Kris blades borne by traditional Philippine warriors. Somehow all of these details just make the stunning Jaquet Droz enamel dials that much more captivating.

It’s amazing how much more appealing this Jaquet Droz watch is to me, than the company’s Equation Du Temps watch, which just doesn’t do it for me–which despite it’s fine craftsmanship and admirable complication, I simply cannot look at without immediately thinking of an upside down smiling cartoon face–namely, that of Charlie Brown, or one of the irreverent characters from South Park! A personal issue, I know, but there you have it.