Purists consider the chronograph a queen among Fine Watchmaking complications, and now luxury Swiss watchmaker Jaquet Droz is introducing the monopusher chronograph into its collections. The limited-edition Grande Seconde Chronograph, makes a grand entrance complete with an exclusive movement that delivers a contemporary variation on the modern wristwatch.
The requirements of the Grande Seconde Chronograph specifications were threefold: an in-house movement to meet the Jaquet Droz standards of watchmaking excellence, readability under all circumstances to ensure the effective measurement of time, and an aesthetic in keeping with the clean lines of the Grande Seconde.
The Grande Seconde Chronograph delivers all three with style and aplomb, with its movement, exclusive to Jaquet Droz, using a column wheel construction in line with the great watchmaking tradition of the chronograph. It also incorporates a silicon balance spring that guarantees resistance to magnetic fields and temperature variations. The volumes and proportions of this caliber have been tailored to the highly-specific geometry of the Grande Seconde.
True to the legacy of the historic Jaquet Droz collections, the movement continues in the same vein of the Grande Seconde Deadbeat, a Fine Watchmaking complication created in the 18th century to literally beat the seconds and enable the measurement and reading of shorter durations of time.
The Grande Seconde Chronograph has been created in two versions: a highly limited inaugural edition (numerus clausus of only 88 pieces), along with three permanent additions to the collection. The red gold limited edition features a Grand Feu enamel dial, red gold hour, minute and date hands, as well as blued steel Petit Feu enamel chronograph second and minute hands.
The trio of contemporary variations features a steel case, the crown now at 4 o’clock and an off-centered dial that’s available in sand-blasted silver, blue or taupe grey and finished using a new dry sand-blasting technique to accentuate the depth of the graining. Throughout the Grande Seconde Chronograph collection, the Arabic and Roman numerals are a striking illustration of the brand’s creative flair, and the retrograde date indicated by a red-tipped gold hand also illustrates the intent to enhance the aesthetic with the technical.
In all four versions, the oscillating weight is pared down to a minimum to reveal the beauty of the hand-assembled manufacture movement, all culminating in a new chapter in the history of the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde.