A PACIFIC FACE
The simple design on the dial is one of the trademarks of the brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and the two new Grande Heure Minute watches from the Astrale collection are no exception.
Although Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721-1790) forged his reputation in the 18th century with an ornamental approach to watchmaking, he also provided a finely honed and avant-garde vision of time with the dial on his Grande Seconde pocket watch, made in 1785. This piece with its simple and elegant structure has proved to be one of Jaquet Droz brand’s major models. The same pacific beauty can be found on the dial of the two new Grande Heure Minute watches in the Astrale collection.
The duo have very different dial designs. The first comes with a delicately sanded, slate-grey tone, while the second seems to have absorbed the silvery white reflections of the moon. At the centre of each of the discs, inside a dotted minute track, are two blue or silver lancine-style hands for the hours and the minutes. The seconds are shown in a sub-dial at 9 o’clock.
The functions in the Grande Heure Minute models are powered by the calibre Jaquet Droz 1169.Si. The automatic movement is housed in a 43mm-wide steel case and runs at the standard frequency of 4Hz. Equipped with two barrels, it supplies a power reserve of 68 hours.
The version with a darker dial is available with a slate-grey alligator leather strap and a steel tang buckle. But to create a strong colour contrast, the light-coloured dial is matched with a black alligator strap.
Price: 8,650 CHF jaquet-droz.com
By Sharmila Bertin