Magical 8: Jaquet Droz and enamel eternities
By Straight-Six, published on 23 July 2010
We’re suckers for the draw of a simple, powerful design. Particularly when it comes to timepieces.
While watch brands jump on the bandwagon of ever more Grandes Complications, like a double tourbillion that will also predict whether the Man in the Moon is going to be looking shit-faced tonight, it’s time once again to recognise the inherent difficulty – and brilliance – of achieving an aesthetic that is a perfect balance of its parts.
Following on from our fawning over the Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Master Grande Ultra Thin we thought it appropriate to dig a little deeper into the horological fires for something even more illuminating. Enter Jaquet Droz, the fine art of enamel dials and the eternal rapture of the number “8″.
While this brand has caught our eye many a time flicking through mags in airports or on porcelain thrones, a recent trip to Nice finally gave us the opportunity to see it in the metal. Simply put: they’re stunning. We can’t recollect ever seeing a timepiece with two sub-dials so perfectly in harmony with one another, or the watch as a whole.
The Grand Feu enamelling of the dials used by Jaquet Droz is naturally conducted by men who contain years of knowledge and mastery in their little fingers, with a unique result each and every time. We like that. But once again, it’s the blend of case, dial, blued hands and crown that delivers the knock-out blow.
Tracing anything back to the mid 1700s gives one a lot of credibility, or reveals the world’s total inability to find enough creative ways to tear through your lineage. Nonetheless, Jaquet Droz is today owned by the Swatch Group (which picked it up at a flea market stall in 2001…) and the infusion of direction and cash has worked wonders.
While the line-up has gotten increasingly busy of late, it’s the Grande Seconde Black and Ivory Enamel lines that really do it for us. And even more shocking is the fact that the Ladies models at 39 mm are likely preferable to the sizable 43mm Men models. Yes, it’s a sad state of affairs when we’re actually picking ladies sizes, though a lot of you will get some serious kicks out of our admission!
And yes, we’re willing to acknowledge the eternal pull of the number 8 if it means having one of these strapped to our decidedly earth-bound wrists.
Magical 8: Jaquet Droz and enamel eternities
We’re suckers for the draw of a simple, powerful design. Particularly when it comes to timepieces. While watch brands jump on the bandwagon of ever more Grandes Complications, like a double tourbillion that will also predict whether the Man in the Moon is going to be looking shit-faced tonight, it’s time once again to recognise [...]
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2 Responses to “Magical 8: Jaquet Droz and enamel eternities”
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One of the elements of Jaquet Droz’s dial designs I appreciate is how they disguise the size of the movement so well. While large diameter case sizes evolved quite quickly, most brands are still using relatively small diameter movements.
The disparity between a small diameter movement and large diameter dial/case are obvious as soon as as you see a sub seconds, chrono dials, or date, set well inside the edge of the dial. The harmony and balance of the dial is destroyed in a make-do approach – the practice is so ubiquitous that it has become the norm.
If you look at any (contemporary) Jaquet Droz dial, you can see that, while they still have a small diameter movement (often Piguet) relative to the size of the dial, they always use very clever designs, colours and/or levels to make the dials look superbly balanced.
Remind me to tell you a story about one of my visits to a Jaquet Droz grand feu master enameller the next time we share a glass or three.
Olivier Müller
23 July 2010
Pure & simple, like Kevin Moore said. We’re waiting for the giveaway. Thanks folks.