The new Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered embodies the essential Jaquet Droz design codes, balancing a sense of history with sheer, modern elegance. The Grande Seconde Off-Centered Onyx displays a striking graphic simplicity and its stylized black dial of edgy, intense black draws one deep into the heart of Jaquet Droz’s history. The creative concept underlying this model was born in the 18th century, at the height of the Enlightenment, when Pierre Jaquet-Droz revolutionized watchmaking with his Grande Seconde.

With every movement of the wrist, its flawlessly even surface comes alive with reflections of almost liquid intensity. This voluptuous play of brilliance is made all the more stunning by the understated elegance of the indexes. The Jaquet Droz craftsmen cut them directly into the 18-carat white gold circles of the large hours and minutes dial and the smaller seconds dial that combine to form the legendary figure 8, a symbol of balance and wholeness that the brand known by its twin stars would adopt for its lucky number. The craftsmen at Jaquet Droz had already given an aesthetic twist to this understated motif by shifting the second dial slightly to 7 o'clock. At Baselworld 2016 this new variation of the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered was introduced, featuring now a 43 mm stainless steel case for the first time.

An exceptional color celebrated by artists since time immemorial, black takes on a whole new dimension in the Grande Seconde Off-Centered. Following in the great tradition of the mineral dials created by Jaquet Droz, an onyx disc has been painstakingly cut and polished to form the dial of this watch. Its deep black harbors an extraordinary intensity, recalling the mystery of an inkpot, where an author dips the quill, or the silky satin that a couture designer fashions into a garment.

Powered by the automatic calibre Jaquet Droz 2663A.P with 30 jewels and beating at a frequency of 28,800 vph, the movement provides a power reserve of 68 hours when fully wound. The movement is fully visible via the display case back.

On the wrist, the watch wears true to its size and extremely elegant. This is a watch that we recommend reserving for that special black tie party where your Tom Ford tuxedo calls for a simple extremely elegant watch to match the black satin on your lapels simply flawlessly. This watch is so elegant that we hardly see it in a different type of setting. The new Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered is also available with a silvered opaline dial with an alligator leather strap. Jaquet Droz brings new mystery to the poetry of time in the Grande Seconde Off-Centered Onyx, sparking the same luminous flashes that inspire artists in the depths of their darkest nights.

Sticker Price $10,700 USD with Onyx dial and $9,100 with Silvered Opaline dial. For more info on Jaquet Droz click here.