“Stained-Glass” Plique-à-Jour Enamel by Jaquet Droz

Jaquet Droz marked its 280th anniversary in 2018 by presenting the Petite Heure Minute Smalta Clara Tiger model. It was the first time in the watchmaker's long history that Jaquet Droz used the plique-à-jour enameling technique (or smalta clara in Latin) for a watch dial. The technique shares many similarities with cloisonné enameling.

The pattern is made by filling various individual gold wire cells with enamel. But what's different about plique-à-jour enamel is that there's no backing in the final product, so light can filter through the enamel like the stained-glass windows of Gothic cathedrals. Backing is of course used when the piece is fired in the kiln, but it should be easily removed once this process has been completed.

This is what makes the Jaquet Droz Smalta Clara no ordinary watch with an enamel dial. It doesn't have a caseback, so there's nothing stopping the rays of sunlight from traveling through the glass fpr maximum illumination.

A new model with a plique-à-jour dial appeared in the Jaquet Droz collection a year after the first anniversary model was released. This enameling technique is believed to have been first developed 1500 years ago, long before the first Gothic stained glass windows were made.

This time, the dial of the Petite Heure Minute was decorated with a playful hummingbird. Two versions of the watch were released: the first is dominated by pink and blue hues while the second blends shades of green and turquoise.

 The only area the soft light doesn't filter through the picture is the off-centered mother-of-pearl hour and minutes dial. Hidden behind the mother-of-pearl subdial is the tiniest of Jaquet Droz movements — the self-winding Jaquet Droz 6150 caliber developed for the Charming Bird model.

The hummingbird which debuted on the Tropical Bird Repeater watch as part of the company's bird series made a return in the Petite Heure Minute Smalta Clara Humming Bird model in 2021. This time, the bird's engraved plumage embracing the mother-of-pearl subdial was rendered in bright-green hues.

The stained glass window of the plique-à-jour dial is framed in a 18-karat grade white-gold case. The bezel of its 35 mm case is encrusted with 100 diamonds. Concealed inside the case is the very same 6150 movement with its balance spring and pallet horns made of silicon.

The double barrel stores enough energy to keep the watch running for 38 hours. Its oscillating weight is made of platinum with 18-karat red-gold appliqué.

The brand has limited the watch to its traditional eight pieces. The Petite Heure Minute Smalta Clara Humming Bird keeps everything simple, and the only eight pieces to see the light of day will be worn on a green hand-stitched satin strap.