By Adam Keith, Associate Timepiece Editor for ViaLuxe-
The captivating use of advanced ceramics by elite Swiss watchmaker Jaquet Droz has given connoisseurs additional tantalizing choices within a model range already noted for its creativity, workmanship, and distinctive aesthetic signatures. This striking material now lends its urbane sophistication to the marque's elegant perpetual calendar timepiece with retrograde indications for day of the week and the date.
The Jaquet Droz Quantieme Perpetuel Ceramique watch is part of an exclusive "Numerus Clausus" limited edition of 88 pieces. Measuring 44mm in diameter, the alluring black ceramic case shares the fundamental classicism of its 18-karat gold siblings, while offering a distinctive flavor of contemporary cool and casual elegance. The Manufacture Jaquet Droz has gone to great lengths to perfect their ceramic case manufacturing processes; minutely fine zirconium powder approximately 1/50th the size of a human hair are converted into the lustrous and nearly scratch-proof final product via a state-of-the-art molding process. Water resistance is rated for 30 meters. A strap in natural black rubber embossed with the twin stars of the Jaquet Droz brand and a folding clasp in black PVD-finished steel compliments the appearance and offers a supremely secure and exacting fit.
Exceptional dialwork is one of the hallmarks of the Jaquet Droz brand, and the Quantieme Perpetuel Ceramique carries on this tradition. A matte black opaline material offers a pleasing contrast against the lustrous ceramic case, and also serves to highlight a number of delightful details which include sunken subdials for the subsidiary seconds and months. The retrograde scales for day and date are printed in white upon a ring in blackened gold which Jaquet Droz artisans patiently bevel and draw with a file; two blackened screws secure it seamlessly to the dial base. Blackened gold is also employed for the hands; red-accented tips on all hands but those for hours and minutes give off a subtle touch of sporty flavor. A small circular window in the month subdial at 12 o'clock discreetly presents the perpetual calendar's leap year indication.
Animating the sophisticated perpetual calendar complications of the Quantieme Perpetual Ceramique watch is the Jaquet Droz 5863, a refined self-winding caliber with double spring barrels based upon a highly-regarded base from Frederic Piguet. The power reserve offered by this Jaquet Droz variation is 68 hours, and balance frequency is a rapid 28,800 vibrations per hour. The complex perpetual calendar complication naturally adjusts itself according to the variations in month length through the year, and it also takes into account the vagaries introduced by the leap year cycle. Assuming the watch operates continually, more than one hundred years will pass before manual adjustments to the calendar will be required.
A sapphire crystal exhibition caseback window in the Jaquet Droz Quantieme Perpetuel Ceramique watch reveals bridges adorned with Cotes de Geneve patterns and smoothly chamfered edges. The 22K white gold central winding mass features a black PVD finish. This touch not only compliments the glossy black ceramic case, it emphasizes the silvery metallic brilliance of the rhodium-finished bridges.
More about Jaquet Droz:
Jaquet Droz brand & timepiece collections
Jaquet Droz Quantieme Perpetuel watch (18K gold variations)
Jaquet Droz product blogs
Jaquet Droz news