Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Moon Marks Founder's 300th Anniversary

The 300th anniversary since the birth of Pierre Jaquet-Droz is a serious occasion, celebrating the man whose name became one of the most quintessential Swiss brands.

The watchmakers at Jaquet Droz are serious about this celebration, introducing two watches in one go. One of them is a predictable nod to the brand's history, while the other seeks to peer into the future. It’s worth noting that the same model has been used as the point of departure to achieve both aims. It's also a central model associated with the brand's entire modern history.

When the Swatch Group acquired Montres Jaquet-Droz in 2000, the brand's new owners had plenty of options to choose from to develop the company. Pierre Jaquet-Droz left a rich legacy behind him. The watchmaker was renowned for his expertise in automata, who created impressive mechanical figures. He also had an entrepreneurial spirit and managed to establish trade links with China, earning a following in the Qing dynasty’s Imperial Court.

Manuel Emch who was appointed CEO of the company in 2001 seems to have made the perfect choice in terms of the company’s direction. The brand was revived and introduced a Grande Seconde model in 2002 with a design inspired by 1785 pocket watches. The small hours and minutes at the top and the large seconds ring beneath it come together to form the figure eight dial, which is hugely popular with the Asian market.

This design instantly makes the brand stand out from other companies that still use classic motifs. It's still one of Jaquet Droz's most recognizable features to this day. It also serves as a stage where new compilations make their debut performance. A chronograph was added to the collection in 2019, followed by a moon-phase display one year later.

Jaquet Droz also decided to mark this significant date by releasing two new versions of the Grande Seconde Moon. The company had actually already introduced an anniversary version of the Grande Seconde in 2018, although it didn't have any complications. The first Grande Seconde Moon ref. J007523200 adheres strictly to the established traditions.

It has an ivory-colored enamel dial with a figure eight connecting Roman numerals for the upper circle and Arabic numerals on the lower one. The case is made of red gold — a staple in lines by Jaquet Droz. The second watch is ref. J007523340. It’s made of the same material but without the numerals, which are replaced with red-gold indexes, and has been given a black dial.

The new models have been resized to reflect the latest trends. They now come in a unisex case which is 41 mm in diameter, whereas Grande Seconde watches used to only be made in 43 mm and 39 mm cases. They house the self-winding caliber 2660QL4 movement with a 68-hour power reserve. Its hairspring and pallet lugs are both made of silicon.

A unique feature this movement boasts is its lunar disk with a 135-tooth wheel instead of 59. This change allows the length of a real synodic revolution to be taken into account, which takes exactly 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. The readings on the display can be adjusted with a stylus: an invisible corrector hidden in the case at 8 o'clock.