Jaquet Droz unveils the first ever grande seconde chronograph. It was one of the few complications yet to grace the Grande Seconde. Now the monopusher chronograph makes its grand entrance into the Jaquet Droz collection, equipped with an exclusive movement. An inaugural, limited series piece is complemented by three permanent additions to the collection.
SPECIFICATIONS
COLLECTION
Grande Seconde
MOVEMENT
Self-winding mechanical movement 26M5R. Power reserve of 40 hours
FUNCTIONS
Mono-pusher chronograph 30-minute subdial and pointer-type retrograde date display at 6 o’clock.
BRACELET/STRAP
Rolled-edge hand-made dark-blue alligator
BUCKLE
18-karat red gold ardillon buckle
The Grande Seconde Chronograph delivers on these prescriptions with aplomb. Its movement, exclusive to Jaquet Droz, uses a column wheel construction in keeping 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 vein of the brand’s Grande Seconde Deadbeat –a genuine Fine Watchmaking complication that was created in the 18th century to literally beat the seconds and thus facilitate the measurement and reading of shorter durations of time. This chronometric focus gave rise some years later to the chronograph as we know it today. The inventor of the deadbeat seconds was none other than Jean-Moyse Pouzait, a friend of the Jaquet-Droz family. The Grande Seconde Chronograph presented today is heir to this chronograph tradition.